Coffee Sidefics II
by Rasengan22
Summary: A second collection of Coffee sidefics that take place post-Seattle.
1. Lunch Break

**Author's note:** I wrote these last summer/fall. They've been on y-gallery for a while, too. These all take place AFTER Seattle for them (and no, I have not written the Seattle series yet. I do not know when I will, and you don't need to be able to know what happened there to follow these sidefics). They go from April to early December, and after I post these, I will also be posting a Christmas/New Year's special I've been writing since December that (so far) has around 7 chapters to it. I'll post it when it's completed on y-gallery, and it will be edited for content.

* * *

Naruto was climbing the stairs leading to Sasuke's apartment. He thought he'd take a longer lunch break so that they could hang out since Sasuke was working from home today. He unlocked the front door and as he stepped in, he heard music playing through the TV on Pandora. Passion Pit's _Take a Walk_. He smiled and threw his keys on the couch. Sasuke's laptop and some papers were on the coffee table.

He passed the kitchen, poking his head in to see if Sasuke was there, and, not finding him, headed for the bedroom, where he found Sasuke face down on the bed. Smirking, he crept up on the other side and grabbed his shoulder.

Sasuke jumped about a foot in the air, and Naruto started laughing as he collapsed on top of the sheets next to him.

"Not very funny," said Sasuke. He looked as if he might've been taking a nap.

"Really? I thought it was pretty hilarious."

Sasuke rolled onto his side, propping his head in his hand. "What are you doing here?"

He scowled. "You're not happy to see me?"

"Of course."

Naruto shifted onto his stomach. "Whatcha doin'?"

"I _was_ taking a nap."

"I thought we could have lunch together."

Slowly, Sasuke smiled, and Naruto smiled back at him.

"I like your hair," remarked Naruto and tried to fix it for him by pushing it behind his ear. Sasuke grabbed for his hand and interlaced their fingers.

"Your shirt's going to get wrinkles, and I'm not going to iron it for you."

He chuckled. "I'm a big boy. I can do my own ironing."

Sasuke made a face.

"What? I iron my own shirts! I've never asked you to iron them for me!"

Sasuke squeezed his hand. "I didn't say anything. So what would you like for lunch?"

"Dunno. Cereal?"

"I'm not having cereal for lunch."

"Hmm." Naruto watched their joined fingers as he bounced their hands on the bed. "Make me a grilled cheese?"

"Why do I have to be the one to make it?"

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Fine, I'll make it. Do you have sliced ham? And tell me you have regular cheese, not that weird stuff you get."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Any type of cheese other than mozzarella and cheddar is weird to you."

"Uh, _yeah_. Duh."

Sasuke sighed. "You know, I was so comfortable."

"I know." Naruto grinned. "You _looked_ comfortable."

"You're such a butt."

"Love you," he sing-songed.

Sasuke cupped his cheek, sweeping a thumb across it. "You're lucky you're so pretty. All that blond hair and those blue eyes."

"You _love_ my eyes. Remember that first night I was here, and you said - "

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I said your eyes were _nice_, not that they were pretty."

"Mm. I remember. So how's your day been so far?"

"Good," replied Sasuke and flashed a small grin. "Better now."

"Smooth." Naruto let go of his hand and pushed on Sasuke gently until he was forced to go flat on his stomach. He slid up next to him so that he could rest his head on Sasuke's shoulder and throw an arm across his lower back. He slipped his fingers underneath the hem of his boyfriend's shirt.

"I like when you make surprise visits during your lunch break," Sasuke said, his voice low.

"Me, too."

They lay there a while. Naruto continued to toy with Sasuke's shirt, occasionally touching skin. He liked simply listening to the sound of Sasuke's breathing and being together. Every once in a while, Sasuke shifted underneath him, moving even closer.

"How's work been so far?" Sasuke murmured.

"Pretty good. All of us are there today, so it's been fun."

"Good."

"Do you..." He lifted his head from off of Sasuke's shoulder. "Wanna do anything tonight? Like, go out maybe?" Moving his hand from Sasuke's side, he trailed it up his back, to his neck, and then into his hair - working his fingers through it like a massage.

"Are you asking me out on a date, Naruto?"

Naruto tilted his head and smiled. "Yeah. I am. Dinner and a movie? Something like that?"

"Sounds good." He leaned in, and Naruto met him halfway for a brief kiss, and then another longer one as he pressed Sasuke into him, using the hand at the back of his head.

When they finished, Naruto's teeth pressed into his bottom lip.

Sasuke was watching him intently. "Naruto..."

"Hm?"

He looked at him for a long while, shrugged, and said, "Inexpressible desire."

"Liar," said Naruto, and he nuzzled his head underneath Sasuke's chin. "Tell me."

Sasuke wrapped an arm around his waist, holding him close. "You know already. I don't want to feed your ego."

"You're supposed to feed my ego when I'm here on a lunch break. That's what it's for."

"No," said Sasuke, and he rubbed Naruto's back. "But I will make you a grilled cheese at least. Since you're taking me out tonight."

"About that," he breathed, content. "Where do you wanna go? What movie do you wanna see?"

"I don't know. Maybe Thai? As for movies..." He hummed near Naruto's ear. "_Being Flynn_? _Salmon Fishing in the Yemen_? I know nothing blows up in those, but they both looked good."

"They're playing at the indie theater?"

"I'll check on my phone real quick." He rolled away and reached for his phone, which was on the nightstand.

Naruto waited as he searched for the times.

"They're both playing. One at 7 and one at 7.30."

"I'm fine with that," he said. "I'll even buy you popcorn and junior mints if you want."

Sasuke smirked at him. "I doubt you'll have to if we're going after dinner, but I appreciate the sentiment."

Naruto reached up and grabbed for his wrist, pulling him back down. "Just a few more minutes and I'll get up to make something."

He settled onto his back and Sasuke drew himself up to his side, placing an arm over his stomach. He tugged at the bottom of Naruto's tie, flipping it between his fingers.

"This is one of mine," said Sasuke.

"It is."

He kissed the side of Naruto's neck, a very light press of the lips.

"Want to tell me what you were thinkin' earlier?" He turned his head to look Sasuke in the eyes. "Or is it still inexpressible? It's like that song."

"Vague," Sasuke said and snorted.

"Shut up. That one. About the undisclosed desires of the heart." He opened his mouth to start to sing it but Sasuke stopped him by covering it with his hand.

"Don't do that," said Sasuke, smirking and shaking his head. "Don't sing."

Naruto used his eyebrows to scowl.

"Whatever," he said when Sasuke removed his hand. "I have a great voice."

"I do like it." Sasuke touched his lips, tracing them.

Naruto nipped at his fingertips, biting down harder on one of them.

"Don't start what you can't finish," Sasuke said to him, narrowing his eyes.

"I _always_ finish when I'm with you," he said, taking hold of Sasuke's hand.

Sasuke rumbled out a quiet laugh.

"Why are you so sexy?" Naruto asked suddenly. He loved when Sasuke laughed. It did crazy, unexpected things to his heart.

"You don't think I'm sexy."

"I must. I'm thinking very dirty things right now."

"Like?"

"I don't want to ruin the moment with graphic details."

"Hn. Maybe just one."

Sasuke brought Naruto's hand to his mouth, grazing his lips across the knuckles.

"_Tell_ me."

"Even though you wouldn't tell me what you were thinkin' earlier?" Naruto fought the urge to pull him over and kiss him. Once he started, he wouldn't want to stop.

"You want to know what I was thinking?"

He nodded. "I do."

Sasuke hummed and kissed the back of his hand several times. "I was just thinking..." He kept his gaze lowered as he paused.

"Yes...?" Naruto urged him.

Raising his eyes, Sasuke replied somewhat hesitantly, "I'm... very much in love with you."

Naruto's eyes widened and, automatically, he smiled rather widely. "Yeah?"

"Yes."

"You're in love with me?" He grabbed Sasuke's hand and pulled him over. Taking hold of the side of his face, he kissed him slowly, and moved his hand to the back of Sasuke's neck.

They kissed for a few minutes. He felt Sasuke's fingers untucking his shirt and reach underneath it to press a palm flat to his stomach. Then it sank lower, over his belt... to his thigh. Naruto sighed into the kiss, which is when Sasuke touched his tongue to his while his hand traveled upward again until it rested on Naruto's stomach.

When they finally parted, their foreheads were pressed together.

"I should make lunch," Naruto whispered, voice gruff.

"If that's what you want," Sasuke whispered back, voice equally husky.

"You know what I want."

"Tell me?"

"You," he answered and nipped at Sasuke's bottom lip. "I want you."

"You have me."

"Hmm. Sometimes it feels like it's not enough."

Sasuke gave a chuckle.

"Don't laugh," said Naruto, frowning. "I'm serious."

"Well, what do you want me to do, Naruto? I'd gladly give you anything you wanted. You know that."

"I know..." He traced the shell of Sasuke's ear and let his head fall back onto the pillow.

"Maybe I want more, too," said Sasuke.

"Then what's the solution?" Naruto asked. "Should I ask you to marry me? Have my babies?" Something changed in the way Sasuke was looking at him. "What is it?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Nothing. Just trying to figure out whether I thought that was cruel to say or not."

"I didn't mean it to be cruel," he replied, eyebrows lifting as he fingered Sasuke's bangs away from his eyes. "What should I tell you? That you're my soulmate, and I knew it from the very first day?"

"Tell me what's true," said Sasuke. "I like when you're honest."

Naruto smiled softly. "You should know how I feel." He took Sasuke's hand and lay it flat against his heart. "I mean, I've turned gay for you."

"You're not gay, Naruto. Even I can tell that quite clearly, and I've had sex with you."

"Many times," said Naruto wistfully.

"Many times. Yes."

"Gay or not, I still feel how I feel for you."

"How do you feel?" Sasuke asked, his hand moving from Naruto's heart to his stomach. "So help me if you say horny, I _will_ hurt you."

He laughed. "Hey, that's also pretty telling if all I wanna do is kiss you or..." Naruto paused, head tilted to the side, as he tried to think of the best way to phrase it.

"Fuck me?" Sasuke supplied for him.

"Maybe I was gonna say _make love_. You never know."

"Uh huh. Make love. Yes. That's what we do."

"We do!" He shifted onto his side. "I make love to you all the time."

"Right," said Sasuke. "I'm not sure if either of us are the "making love" sort."

"Not true," Naruto argued. "I am the _king_ of making love. Let's do it right now!" He grabbed Sasuke by one of his belt loops and manhandled him by forcefully rolling him onto his back, almost flipping him a bit so that he bounced.

Naruto flopped on top of him and thrust his hips. "See," he said. "We're making love right now!"

Sasuke shook his head. "You're an idiot."

"Nooo!" He whined, pushing his nose into the crook of Sasuke's neck. "I am making love to you!"

Sasuke growled and pushed him off. "Go make lunch. We can talk about this later."

Naruto sat up on the bed. "Maybe we can. After our date. And then I'll bring you back here and make sweet, sweet love to you."

Sasuke threw a pillow at him. "Shut up. I take it back. I could never fall for such a moron. There's no way."

"But you have," said Naruto. "You _love_ me. You want to marry me and be my forever life partner, and we'll register at IKEA and maybe I'll let you hang a rainbow flag out on the front porch of our little bungalow after we move to San Francisco or Sweden or wherever the hell we can legally get married."

Sasuke covered his eyes with a hand. "Please. _Please_ go into the kitchen and make food so that I can stay here and tell myself life is still worth living now that I'm stuck with you."

"Heh. That's the spirit." Cheerfully, he bounced his way off the bed and stretched, adjusting his shirt and tucking it back into his slacks. "I'll be in the kitchen when you've come to terms with your future." He waggled his eyebrows and folded his arms behind his head to thrust his hips a few times into the air. "Oh yeah. Still got it."

Sasuke threw another pillow at him. "Get out!"

"Tch. Fine. I'm goin'. But you'll miss me when I'm gone."

"I doubt it."

"Feh." Naruto left him alone, purposely pushing the door so that it was left wide open. On his way into the kitchen, he bumped into Ollie as he came scampering out of the guest bedroom, obviously thinking Naruto was going to give him a treat if he followed.

Which Naruto did since he was in a good mood.

Because Sasuke was _in love_ with him, and tonight he would make _sweet_, _sweet_ love to him in many positions and in every room of the apartment because that's what two people in love did.


	2. Nostalgia

Naruto and Sasuke were sitting on the couch. It was about 1 a.m, and not much was on TV. Naruto had settled on House since there was some sort of marathon going on, and Copper was on instead of Top Gear and International House Hunters was in Australia, and those episodes, as everyone knows, are incredibly boring.

"Sasuke, I think you woulda been a good doctor."

Sasuke glanced up from the giant hardback he was reading. "Even though I dropped out of college after two years?"

"Well, I'm saying if you had _wanted_ to, you could have."

"Obviously, as we Asians are capable of great occupations."

"Yeah," said Naruto, waving the remote in the air. "I'm surprised you can't play the violin. Or maybe you should be designing video games?"

"How did I end up with such a racist as a boyfriend?" Sasuke shut his book and set it to the side.

"Racist?" said Naruto. "Whose country sided with the Nazis in the second World War?"

"At least my country didn't drop a couple of bombs and wipe out millions and millions of innocent people."

"I'm not sure the kamikaze pilots would've lasted long enough to drop it on the target. They were too busy running into the battleships in Pearl Harbor."

"Wait," said Sasuke. "How did this conversation even start?"

Naruto pressed the top of the remote against his chin, tapping it. "Oh, because I said you'd make a good doctor."

Sasuke frowned at him. "But then we wouldn't have met."

"Sure we would've. Because if we lived in an alternate world where you went to med school, who's to say that I might not be a doctor, too? Like, maybe I'd be this famous neurosurgeon, right, and then you'd show up at my hospital as some hot shot intern."

"Why would I just be an intern if you're already an established neurosurgeon?"

"Because I'm older than you in this scenario."

"Okay..." Sasuke leaned over and grabbed the remote from him to mute the TV. "So you teach me how to operate, take me under your wing?"

"No, no. I think maybe you'd be under someone else's supervision, right? But you do something crazy like the shit that happens on House on your first day. Like, say, the elevator breaks down and you have to perform an operation on the guy's heart, and I instruct you through the small gap in the elevator doors we were able to wedge open."

"Wasn't that Grey's Anatomy?"

Naruto blinked at him. "You watch Grey's Anatomy?"

Sasuke shrugged. "I've seen a few episodes. What of it?"

He leaned away from Sasuke. "Nothing, it's fine. I'm not judging you."

"So you were saying?"

"Oh, oh yeah. Okay, so I take an interest in you because you're like Tom Cruise in Top Gun. You're a real maverick intern, but you're impressed with my skills, so you develop this crush on me, right? Except I'm seeing some nurse, so you act like a dick to me."

"I guess if I had a crush on you, I wouldn't be thrilled with the idea of you dating a nurse, no."

Naruto leaned toward him again and poked at the cushion between them. "But then I break up with her, and I sorta lead you on and stuff by tellin' you you've got all this potential and blah blah, and then you make eyes at me in the locker room or something, and we end up making out."

"Right... so in this alternate universe, neither of us have any ethics?"

Naruto put his hands up like he was weighing two objects. "Uh, ethics versus hot sex, which would you choose?"

"I don't know. Does it mean I get to help you with your surgeries?"

"Sure, why not," said Naruto.

"How does it end?" asked Sasuke as he ran his fingers through his hair, combing it to the side and behind his ear.

"M'not sure. I'm sure someone dies in a bus accident or a ferry crashes or there's a crazy guy who shoots me in the chest after I took his wife off of life support. Do you think House and Wilson are gay?"

Sasuke sighed and shook his head. "I think I'll go back to reading."

"No, don't do that. I wanna know. I mean, don't you think they're a bit gay?"

"Naruto, you're an idiot."

"But Sasuke, I'm so bored. Fine. You pick a topic. It can be about anything. Wait, let's play Who Would You Rather."

"Fine." Sasuke rubbed the bridge of his nose. "Are we playing the gay version or do I have to pick women?"

"Nah. Let's play the gay version so it's equal and stuff."

Sasuke tilted his head to the side, thinking, and then said: "Hugh Laurie, Stephen Fry, or Daniel Radcliff?"

"Why are they all British?"

"Just answer the question."

Naruto hummed thoughtfully. "Well, Stephen's gay, right, so he'd know what to do, and I really like his game show thing."

"Q.I.?"

"Yeah, that one. Um, maybe if you'd said Harry Potter. Can't go wrong with a Wizard, although it'd be pretty hard to have a stable relationship with him when there are dark forces always chasing you."

"Well, there was that abominable epilogue."

"True. Okay, so Daniel's out, plus he's always naked in stuff, and that'd make me jealous. I do like Laurie, but he cheated on his wife, and that's not gonna fly. I guess that leaves Stephen?"

"Fair enough."

"Alright, your turn. Um..." Naruto leaned back against the couch cushion and put his feet up on the coffee table, but Sasuke quickly smacked him with a TV Guide until he placed them on the floor again. "Let's change it up, though. Who would you rather of these bands? Muse, Mumford & Sons, or Tegan and Sara?"

"I thought we were doing the gay version," said Sasuke. "And am I supposed to fuck the entire band?"

"Obviousy, yeah. You gotta fuck the entire band, maybe even the roadies, and since Tegan and Sara are lesbians, that means we're still playing the gay version. I'd obviously pick them, but not just 'cause they're chicks. I think Sara's cute."

"I prefer Tegan, but it doesn't matter. They wouldn't let you anywhere near them."

"It's because I'm American, and they're Canadian, isn't it?"

"No. I think it's because they like other women."

"Well, that's just racist. Anyway, stop stalling. Muse, Mumford & Sons, or Tegan and Sara? And don't say David Tennant, because he's not in any of those bands."

Sasuke scowled. "I respect Tennant as an actor. That doesn't mean I want to shag him."

"Sure. Answer the question or you'll make the doctor sad."

"Muse probably because there are less band members and none of them are lesbians that I'm aware of."

"I dunno," said Naruto. "I went to one of their concerts and they were sorta dressed like lesbians. And have you seen Matt Bellamy's teeth, they're pretty hideous. One of his snaggle teeth might accidentally get caught on your foreskin."

"Naruto... I'm circumcised."

"See!" Naruto pointed at him. "More proof you've probably shagged him already. You probably had no choice once Matt's teeth got a hold of your cock."

"Yes, sure, maybe if he got a hold of me in my mother's womb."

Naruto snorted. "Bah. I've gotten tired of this game."

"That was quick. Why don't you come here?" He gestured with his finger.

Naruto stared at it for a second and then slid closer. Sasuke put an arm around his shoulders.

"What are you doin'?" Naruto asked.

"Putting an arm around you," answered Sasuke. "Does that make you uncomfortable?"

"No..."

Sasuke moved his hand on top of Naruto's head and ruffled his hair until it was completely messed up and hanging over his eyes.

"Thanks for that," said Naruto. "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure." Sasuke removed his arm, and it dropped in between them. He put a hand on Naruto's thigh, near his knee.

"Do you ever... get booty calls? Like, from guys you used to know? You must, right?"

"I don't know how to answer that. I don't even know where to start. Did you smoke something tonight when you were hanging out with Kiba?"

"That's irrelevant," said Naruto. "Don't change the subject. Besides, we already established you're not a doctor, so don't try to test my urine or anything."

"_That's_ something we haven't tried yet." Sasuke smirked.

Naruto put a finger to his mouth. "I'd pee on you if you asked me to, I guess."

"That's good to know. I'll keep that in mind. No, Naruto. I don't get booty calls. I can't say I gave out my number very often. My relationships were very short-term. What about you? Do you get booty calls?"

"Hmm."

Sasuke hit him on the back of the head. "You have to think about it?"

"Please. Do I look like the type to get booty calls? I'd be the one makin' the booty calls, wouldn't I?"

"Who knows," Sasuke replied, scowling. "Maybe you hear from your ex sometimes. How should I know?"

"What? That's retarded. I'd tell you if I heard from her. I'm pretty sure she's... abroad somewhere. I don't know."

"Hmm."

Naruto bumped against him. "Sasuke. Don't be jealous. How does that one song go? 'Cause every night, who, who's in your bed?"

"I don't know how I feel about you listening to my Broadway playlists."

"Some of them aren't bad. I think that one about Monty Python is funny. Spamalot?"

Sasuke used his hand to cover Naruto's face. "Shh now. It's time for you to come down from whatever you're on."

Naruto grabbed for his hand. "I'm not on anything. It's just this drug called love."

Sasuke sighed again, further shaking his head. "I hope this is because you're tired and basically delirious."

"I am that." He leaned his head on Sasuke's shoulder. "I think I may get rid of my apartment after all."

"Oh?"

"I'm considering it, yeah. We hardly spend the night there, but I do like when you're over. It feels like we're in a cabin or somewhere secluded, so I sorta like when we sleep in my bed."

Sasuke reached for his hand. "Then keep it."

"Yeah, but if I can save that money, we could go on a trip, or I could buy you something expensive. Like a new Burberry coat."

"I don't _want_ you to buy me anything, Naruto," Sasuke told him in a soft voice.

"Why not? You buy me things from time to time."

"A video game here and there doesn't quite compare to the cost of a Burberry coat."

Naruto turned his head, leaned closer, and kissed Sasuke gently on the line of his jaw. "I _like_ when you let me take care of you, though."

"You're always welcome to," Sasuke replied, shutting his eyes as Naruto proceeded to kiss his way down the side of his neck. He tugged at Sasuke's shirt, exposing part of his collarbone and shoulder. Naruto kissed his way across Sasuke's skin.

"I have this fantasy," Naruto said as he let his head rest against Sasuke's shoulder again. He sighed deeply. "That we go to London, right? What's that one place you told me about?"

"Covent Garden."

"Right, so we go to Covent Garden, and we go into that covered building with all the shops and restaurants, and there's this one area, where this old guy with grey hair has an acoustic guitar. And he plays a couple of his own songs, but he mostly does covers."

"What covers?" asked Sasuke. He started to run his fingers through Naruto's hair, teasing the strands apart slowly.

"Old stuff. Some Beatles, even John Denver, but it's mostly a lot of Simon & Garfunkel. I find him first, so I sit down on one of the benches, and you sit next to me."

"Mm. Sounds good."

"And it's kind of cold out, but I didn't bring gloves or a scarf."

"Ah," said Sasuke. "Sort of like our first date."

"Heh. Yeah. So anyway, you take your scarf and you wrap it around me for us to share. We sit there for a long, long time. He plays for an hour, and we just listen to him. A few other people come and go, dropping coins and notes into his open guitar case. Then after he finishes, we get up, and you go talk to him about music, and we both shake his hand and thank him."

"This is an oddly specific fantasy," said Sasuke.

"Maybe so. You like it, though, don't you?"

"Yeah," said Sasuke, turning his head to press his lips to Naruto's temple. "I like it."

"I wonder why I feel all sad and nostalgic all of a sudden just thinking about it."

Sasuke kissed his cheek and then the corner of his quivering mouth. "Don't feel sad. I'm right here."

"I don't wanna think that there could be a time where we have memories like that, you know. Ones that we make together, that are so special, and then, what if something happens and you get tired of me suddenly?"

"Naruto. I'd never get tired of you. I have more to worry about. One day you may wake up and realize you want to go back to dating women."

"That's like saying you may want to go back to dating gay men. That's gotta be easier. You can talk about other guys' butts with each other and... whatever else it is that two gay guys do together."

"Moron. Our relationship isn't any different than one two gay men would have, or two women, or a man and a woman. Don't make that face. You know what I mean. I'm not referring to the sexual aspect of a relationship."

Naruto grinned. "I wasn't gonna say anything."

"Uh huh." Sasuke nuzzled up to him underneath his chin. "Actually, I think we have it better than most."

"How so?" asked Naruto as he kissed the top of Sasuke's head.

"We're fated, obviously."

"Yeah, it really worked out well in this lifetime, but I bet in other lifetimes you make shit difficult."

"Why me? Maybe it's you that makes getting together difficult."

"I suppose that's possible, but I'd like to tell all my future selves that bein' with you is what makes 'us' happiest."

"Maybe you can make a time capsule."

Naruto snorted. "Maybe I can use the TARDIS?"

"Just make sure not to bring the tenth doctor along, because then I can see where I'd make shit difficult."

Naruto scoffed and punched him in the shoulder. "You _asshole_, you told me it wasn't like that with him!"

"Hey, I don't want to limit my future selves."

"Traitor," said Naruto, pouting.

"It would never happen anyway. He was too into Rose."

"Yeah. Literally."

"Shut up, idiot. Why don't we go to bed soon, huh? You look shattered."

"I am, Sasuke. I am so shattered on the inside."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "You're so emo. Once we get into the room, I'll put on some Panic! or some Fall Out Boy. Death Cab for Cutie even."

"Ooh I like them. They're easy to listen to, and I saw them in Champaign once."

"Let's do it then." He gave Naruto's leg a pat and stood up. Naruto grabbed for the remote and turned off the TV.

He followed Sasuke into the bedroom, stepping on his heels and pushing him every once in a while until Sasuke put him in a headlock and dragged him into the bedroom, where he shoved Naruto onto the bed.

Naruto watched him as Sasuke changed into his pajama pants and a t-shirt. Ollie suddenly scampered out of the closet and hopped up onto the bed with Naruto. Together they watched Sasuke go about his nightly routine, which still included the cum-resembling moisturizer.

When Sasuke came out of the bathroom he stopped and gazed at them.

"Want me to undress you?" he asked Naruto.

"Meh. I'll do it." He sat up and stripped himself down to his boxers, tossing his clothes near his side of the bed. Sasuke, of course, couldn't help picking them up and folding them. He placed the stack on top of the dresser and then went to his laptop, searching through his iTunes.

"Okay," said Sasuke as he went to turn off the lights and came back around to his side of the bed to get under the covers. "I've created one just to your emo tastes. There's some Death Cab, some Stars, some Shins, Sia, some Postal Service, older Snow Patrol, Counting Crows, some Sufjan, Mumford, the Animals, and, finally, a lot of Air Traffic."

"Oh God, that sounds so good."

They were both looking across at each other, their heads on the pillows, and Ollie snuggled between them.

"Hey," said Naruto.

"Hi," Sasuke said back. "That old man with the guitar. Did we leave him some money?"

"Yeah. I gave you a fiver to give to him, I think."

"I see. We must've really liked him."

"We did, yeah."

The music continued to play. Transatlanticism.

"Sasuke?"

"Yes, Naruto?" He sounded sleepy.

"If we were singing karaoke in Tokyo. Would you sing Brass in Pocket or would you sing More Than This?"

"Neither. I'd sing Atlanta Rhythm Section's 'So Into You'."

Naruto smiled goofily. "Really?"

"Yeah. Then I'd ask you if you wanted to start a jazz band."

He closed his eyes and sighed. "I fucking love you."

"So you're so into me, too?"

Naruto chuckled. "That settles it. We're goin' to Tokyo."

"Definitely. Maybe you can teach English, and I'll... I don't know, work at a record store."

"Not a book store?" Naruto asked.

"It's been done before," said Sasuke.

"Really?"

"Shh. Listen to the music." He reached over and pet Naruto on the head. "You love Air Traffic."

"I do. And I never would've come to know them if it hadn't been for you."

"Another reason we were fated to meet. Ah, stop touching me with your damn cold feet, you twat."

Naruto laughed aloud. "I love when you call me a twat. It amuses me."

"This song might be too upbeat for your emo playlist. Maybe I should change it."

"Noooo. Don't. Or I'll touch you with my feet again!"

"Fine, fine. Spoiled. Hn."

"I'll be knockin' at your window, I'll be beggin' you for more," he whisper-sang. Naruto hummed some more of the song as they listened.

"Pretty if the sun won't shine, and now you've come this far to meet me, and I know, I know you're mine," Sasuke sang quietly.

Naruto rolled over, closer to Sasuke, squeezing Ollie between their bodies, but the cat only purred and allowed a twitch of the ears.

"I love you," said Naruto, searching Sasuke's face.

Sasuke moved his arm out from under the blanket. Smiling tenderly at him, he touched Naruto's cheek and then feathered his bangs to the side.

"I love you, too."


	3. Getting High

They were both lying on the carpet in the living room. The lights were all off, but there was a slight glow coming from the stereo system as it flashed a blue-colored square onto the floor next to Naruto's bare foot.

"Who did you get this from?" Naruto asked. He was staring at the ceiling, his hands on his stomach. Sasuke was lying beside him, and as he exhaled, Naruto watched the tiny ring of smoke float upward.

"Someone at work," answered Sasuke.

"That's kinda weird, isn't it? Is he over you or under you, because if he's under you, shouldn't you fire him?" Naruto turned his head fully; Sasuke did at the same as he passed Naruto the joint and smirked.

"He's not _under_ me," he replied, "And, no, it's not weird. Would you fire Kiba if he got you some pot?"

Naruto chuckled. "I haven't yet, but I wouldn't say Kiba works under me."

"I should hope not." Sasuke reached over to brush Naruto's hair to the side. "But secretly I don't think he's the type to ever work _over_ you."

"Gross." Naruto handed the joint back to him. "That shit's not even funny when I'm high."

"No," Sasuke agreed, sounding thoughtful. "I find that one pretty disturbing myself."

"Well, don't think about it at all then." Naruto, with some effort, rolled to his side and put his hand over Sasuke's eyes. "There. Stop picturing it."

"Ah, I've gone blind!"

Naruto laughed. "S'probably from all that masturbatin' you do."

"Who, me?" Sasuke covered Naruto's hand with his. "I don't need to when I have you around."

"Really? Like, you never jerk off anymore?"

"You're always here, so if I really needed to get off, I'd ask you. Why? How much do you masturbate when we're not together?"

Naruto removed his hand, and Sasuke's fell to the side, too. He shrugged. "A fair amount, I'd say. Maybe it's out of habit, but I jerk off in the shower a lot if we're not together, but it's more just an impulse. Y'know, I'm alone... so it's an opportunity." He reached across Sasuke's chest to steal the joint from his left hand. "I think about you if it's any consolation." Grinning, he looked at Sasuke.

Sasuke looked back with a smirk. "What do you think about?"

Naruto inhaled, tilted his head up, and breathed out the smoke. "Let's see, if it's in the shower... I think about you givin' me a handjob, or I think about you sucking me off. If I'm in bed, then I probably think about us having sex. Mostly me on you, sometimes you on me."

Sasuke rolled onto his side and put his hand flat on Naruto's stomach.

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "What?" He smiled.

"Nothing. Every day I'm reminded how much I love your honesty. I never have to guess what you're thinking since you pretty much tell me everything that comes to mind. Even the things I don't necessarily need to know about."

Naruto laughed. "Okay, so you don't love bathroom humor as much as I do."

"Don't get me wrong, some of your fart jokes make me laugh, but when you and Kiba get together... It's hard to believe you're the love of my life."

"Tch. Please, Sasuke. Like I've never heard you fart before. You did it in bed the other night."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I've never said I don't fart. I just don't do it _as_ much as you, and I don't make it a habit of being proud every time I clog the toilet, nor would I ever make a Facebook status out of it."

Naruto, to prove a point, belched really loudly and blew it to the other side.

"Wonderful," said Sasuke. He stole the joint and reached to tap the ashes out into an empty beer can on the coffee table.

"I can be sexy when I need to be," Naruto said. "But you also like the sloppy heterosexual male side of me."

"I don't mind it," Sasuke replied, giving him a sexy, confident look before inhaling, leaning in, and pressing their lips together. He released the smoke into Naruto's mouth and pulled away; Naruto held it in a few seconds before letting it out. He put the joint in Naruto's hand and had him hold it as he rolled on top of him, settling between his legs - chest to chest - kissing at his collarbone while tugging at the collar of Naruto's shirt. Sasuke kissed up his neck, his jaw, and, finally his mouth. Naruto wrapped an arm around his waist. They kissed for a long time, each kiss slow and deep. Soft music played in the background. One of Sasuke's hands was at his hip, the other cupping his cheek. Naruto's hand moved lower until he was grabbing Sasuke's butt.

Sasuke pulled away first to kiss at his neck again. Naruto took a puff and blew it out over the top of Sasuke's head. He ran his hand through the spikes, loving the texture. He felt Sasuke's fingers sneak under his shirt, touch skin, then he pushed it all the way up to Naruto's chest.

He sighed as Sasuke kissed and ran his tongue across the line of muscles on his stomach and then up more... a teasing flick across his left nipple. Teeth grazed over it, bit him. Lips latched around it, and Sasuke sucked while his fingers brushed feather light over his chest and stomach - then lower - bypassing his belt, moving to his thigh, then up slowly again to drag across his crotch and over to his right hip.

"Alright," he breathed. "I may need a shower shortly."

Sasuke raised his eyes and teased the nipple with his tongue again. "Or you could let me handle it."

"That works, too."

Sasuke sat up to get Naruto's belt unbuckled; he unzipped the fly and pulled his jeans down. Naruto lifted his hips, taking another puff of the joint while watching Sasuke as he mouthed the outline of his cock through the grey boxer briefs he wore. With another sigh, he let his head fall back on the carpet while Sasuke tugged the underwear down to join the jeans pooled around his ankles.

Sasuke took his time, lazily pumping Naruto in his hand. He gave a long lick to each side before focusing on the tip. He suckled on it, licked, and then took Naruto into his mouth. One hand held him while the other moved up and down along his thigh. Naruto spread his legs further apart, bending his knees slightly. He closed his eyes while Sasuke's hot mouth surrounded him. Every once in a while, fingers ghosted across one of his balls - just a brush and sometimes they moved further back toward the curve of his ass.

He brought the joint to his lips, completely relaxed. He threaded his fingers through Sasuke's hair as his head bobbed. Not applying too much pressure. Naruto exhaled and threw his arm across his eyes. He was starting to breathe heavy. Sasuke knew he liked when it sounded wet and dirty, so every time he sucked on the head, when he let it slip out, there was an erotic slurping noise.

"Jesus, Sasuke..." His grip in Sasuke's hair tightened, encouraging Sasuke to go faster as he took Naruto in again, nose nudging every so often against the lower part of his stomach. A hand pressed more firmly into his thigh, pushing his legs further apart.

Naruto let a moan slip. He moved his arm and opened his eyes to watch Sasuke blow him. Sasuke raised his eyes at the same time, their gazes meeting. Naruto licked his lips before pressing his teeth hard into the bottom one. Sasuke's cheeks hollowed; he sucked hard, and with a few bucks of his hips, Naruto groaned as he came into his boyfriend's mouth. Sasuke swallowed it all and licked up the sides and at the head when he was finished. Naruto shuddered underneath him. Sasuke kissed and sucked at his left thigh before slowly moving his way up Naruto's body.

Naruto put his arm around him, and they kissed some more. Naruto tasted himself on Sasuke's lips. He kissed him harder, gliding a hand up Sasuke's back and pushing the shirt up with it. He scratched his nails over Sasuke's skin on the way down again.

Sasuke pushed off of him, glancing at his hand. "You're getting it on the carpet." He took the smoldering joint away from him and set it on the coffee table.

Naruto caught his wrist, dragging him back over.

"At least let me pull your pants up," said Sasuke as he licked the sensitive spot behind Naruto's ear. He reached between them and worked Naruto's underwear up his legs, then the jeans. "Feel better?"

"I didn't feel so bad before," Naruto replied hoarsely, "But yeah, now I feel extra relaxed."

Sasuke chuckled. "Good." He kissed under Naruto's chin and slid to the side, tucked against him briefly. Then he rolled onto his back. Naruto glanced at him. He was touching his fingers to his mouth.

"Sasuke," he said.

Sasuke's head turned. "Hm?"

"Fuck me later tonight?"

Sasuke blinked. "Like you have to ask. You're in the mood? And I just sucked you off, too."

"I just feel like I want to later."

Sasuke nodded. "Fine with me."

"You're already thinkin' about it. Your eyes glazed over."

"That's from sucking you off. But, yes, now I'm thinking about it. I like when you ask for it."

Naruto smiled. "Do you?" He rolled over against Sasuke's side, put an arm over his chest, and brought his mouth close to Sasuke's ear. "Wanna fuck me later?" He couldn't see Sasuke's face, but he felt the sharper intake of breath as his chest fell beneath the weight of his arm. "Ah, see. You like it dirty, too. Don't you, Sasuke?"

"I swear you become a porn star when you smoke," he told Naruto, his voice low and husky.

Naruto bit the shell of his ear. He tugged at it and let it go. "Maybe, but I make you really horny, don't I?"

"You do. Giving you a blowjob always turns me on."

"Hmm." He blew into Sasuke's ear, a hot, short puff of air.

"All those sounds you make..."

"What sounds?" Naruto, eyebrow raised, lifted his head so he could look down at him.

"You know what sounds."

"You make sounds, too."

"I know I do. It feels too good not to. Tell me again what you want."

Naruto smirked, lowered his head and murmured in an almost whine. "Fuck me tonight, Sasuke? _Please_..."

Sasuke shook his head. "You are such a dick."

Naruto kissed the side of his head and laughed. "You love it." He cupped Sasuke's crotch. "See, you totally have a boner."

"God, you're so crass."

"Mmhmm. Punish me later for it if you wanna."

"I'll give you what you deserve, don't worry."

"I can't wait. I like when you get all bossy."

"I know you do."

Naruto rested his head against Sasuke's. "See. I'm gettin' horny again, and I just got off. Do you think it's a medical condition?"

"Yes."

"Really?"

"I'm pretty sure you have Tourette Syndrome."

Naruto laughed, making some of the dark hairs on Sasuke's head shift around. "I meant about my horniness."

"Even if it is, I think the cure for it is fairly easy."

"True. S'good thing you can keep up with my needs."

Sasuke shifted just a little. He moved his right hand to the back of Naruto's neck, brushing his fingers through the hair, dragging a finger across the even hairline.

"Do I," Sasuke's tongue dabbed over his bottom lip, "Satisfy your needs... Naruto?"

"I hate when you use that sexy voice and say my name like that..."

"Like what? ... Naruto."

"Bastard," he said and hid his face after he dropped his head to Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke's hand rubbed in circles over his back. He could tell he was laughing since his body was shaking underneath his.

"Don't laugh at me," he told Sasuke.

"No, I like it," Sasuke reassured. "Even your body's so honest. If I think about it, it's extremely flattering."

"Whatever."

"No, not whatever." He kissed the top of Naruto's head. "It knows who it belongs to."

"It knows its master."

"Hn. I like the sound of that."

"You would, you pervert. Are you gonna hit me with the belt again tonight?"

"If you ask me to, sure," replied Sasuke, fingers moving their way back into Naruto's hair, lifting every other strand and letting it fall. "That's hot, but the best is when it's slow and meaningful. When you're underneath me. Wanting it. Asking for it with your eyes..."

"Sasuke," he whined.

"Hm? Want me to stop?"

Naruto fidgeted against him. "...No."

Sasuke laughed quietly, fingers stilling at the back of his neck, shaped to the curve of it. He gave a squeeze. "How do you feel about me, Naruto? Tell me."

Naruto picked his head up off of Sasuke's chest. He looked Sasuke in the eye, feeling his gaze soften.

"You know," he said. "How I feel. You know." He put a hand on Sasuke's chest, over his heart. "This knows always." He moved his hand to Sasuke's forehead. "Even when this isn't sure."

Sasuke took hold of that hand, curled it into a fist and kissed the back of it. He held it within his own hand. "I don't know what I'd do without you."

The sincerity of his tone touched Naruto, making his pulse quicken. "I feel the same," he murmured. "I can't even remember what it was like before this."

"Good," Sasuke kissed his hand again. "I don't want you to remember any other times where I wasn't a part of your life. You didn't have lovers before me."

Naruto grinned. "You're my first. Lover is a good word. That makes me happy to think of you as my _lover_."

"I am." Sasuke let go of his hand and grabbed for his shirt, pulling him closer. "I'm your lover. You're my lover." He kissed Naruto slowly, controlling it entirely, and making him nearly whimper into it.

Naruto's thoughts were slow, his mind heavy, full, and warm. His chest was the same. Both were full of Sasuke. Sasuke was everything. Looking in his eyes, Naruto thought Sasuke felt the same way, so he smiled goofily. Sasuke smiled in return.

"Lover," Naruto said and laughed.

Sasuke's eyes twinkled. "Idiot."


	4. Late Night Snack

It was late, and he wanted a snack, so while Sasuke was doing some work on his laptop, Naruto snuck out of the bedroom and headed for the kitchen. He routed through the cabinets, in the mood for junk food. Finding nothing, he went through the refrigerator, too. But then he remembered he had one more hot pocket left in the freezer. With Ollie running between his feet and nearly causing him to trip, Naruto put the ham and cheese hot pocket onto a plate and placed it in the microwave for one minute and fifty seconds. He went through the drawer and got out a fork, tapping it on the counter. Ollie was sitting next to him, his tail swishing back and forth. He apparently had the misguided notion that Naruto intended to share some of his amazing hot pocket with him.

"I'm not supposed to feed you after midnight," Naruto said to him.

Ollie answered with a questioning meow.

Naruto started to hum. Sasuke had been playing music nonstop tonight for research purposes, so certain songs kept getting stuck in his head, and they weren't even ones he'd ever heard of before. The microwave dinged, and Naruto popped open the door except as he went to pick up the plate, it was so ridiculously hot that he accidentally let it slip from his fingers. It dropped and smashed on the floor, scattering pieces of glass everywhere. Ollie had already run out of the kitchen with a frightened yelp. Naruto cursed, eyeing his beloved hot pocket on the floor. He decided to opt for the five second rule, but as he tried to skirt around the broken pieces of glass, he ended up stepping on a large shard that embedded itself deep into the center of his left foot.

"Fuck," he shouted and, looking up as he was hopping around on one foot, he saw Sasuke standing in the doorway.

"Are you alright?" Sasuke asked him, and he started to walk into the room, but Naruto held his hand up.

"I'm fine, I just dropped a stupid plate. There's glass everywhere, so don't come in." He leaned against the island counter and lifted his leg up, grabbing his foot so he could see if he could simply pull it out.

Ignoring his plea for Sasuke to stay put, his boyfriend slid on some shoes and stepped into the kitchen. He stood next to Naruto, staring down at his bleeding foot.

"I can't seem to get it out," Naruto said, still trying to pull at it. He glanced up at Sasuke, who appeared a little pale. Naruto almost laughed. "Hey, what's up with you? You suddenly don't look so hot."

"You're bleeding," said Sasuke.

"Uh, yeah. There's a large piece of plate in my foot."

"I don't like blood very much."

"What? Since when?"

Sasuke shrugged. "Since some traumatizing incident from when I was younger that involved my brother."

"Right, okay. Maybe you can tell me about it later? Do you have some tweezers or somethin'. I can just yank it out, I think."

Sasuke was intently focused on his foot, so Naruto prodded him in the chest.

"Chill, Sasuke. I'm not gonna die. Just go find me the tweezers."

Sasuke gave him a strangely helpless look before he turned around and went in search of the tweezers. At least Naruto hoped that's what he was doing. He'd looked pretty ill actually, so maybe he was stopping off somewhere to vomit into the toilet. Ollie, apparently rediscovering his courage, peeked his head inside the doorway, but then he went running away again when Sasuke came back, shooing him crossly.

Naruto laughed. "Don't be mad at him. It's not his fault."

"I am mad at him. He should've caught the plate with his head. Then maybe you wouldn't have glass in your foot."

"Mean. Here, gimme." He held his hand out.

Sasuke came over to him but told him to get up on top of the counter.

"What? Why?" Naruto asked, still holding onto his foot.

"Because, I'll take it out. Just get your ass up there."

"I thought you didn't like blood."

"I don't, but I don't like the idea of you being in pain either, so could you just please get up on the counter."

Sasuke's tone made him move without any further question. He hopped onto the counter, flexing his wounded foot. Sasuke, tweezers in hand, took hold of it. He poked at the shard once or twice with his finger and then, gripping Naruto's ankle, he gave a gentle tug. It still didn't seem to want to come out.

"You can pull a little harder. I don't mind if it hurts," Naruto said.

"I don't want to hurt you," Sasuke replied.

"You're gonna have to if we're ever gonna get this outta my foot. Just do it. If it's you, I don't mind if you 'cause me a little pain." Naruto meant it as a joke, but when Sasuke looked up at him, he didn't seem to be amused. "It's not a big deal, Sasuke. I've stepped on glass before."

Sasuke shushed him, but on his second try, he used more force. The glass came loose, and Naruto didn't do a whole lot more than flinch. But with it gone, the blood started to gush out. Sasuke stared a few seconds, but when Naruto called to him, he seemed to regain himself. He went to the sink and pulled a clean rag out of one of the nearby drawers. He used it to clean off Naruto's foot and then had him hold it there as Sasuke went in search of a first aid kit that might have some bandages. After only a few minutes, Sasuke returned with a bandage and a broom with a dustpan. He set the broom aside as he wrapped Naruto's foot up so that he wouldn't bleed all over the floor. When he was done, Sasuke made sure he kept his foot elevated on the counter.

"Now just sit there for a second while I clean this up," Sasuke ordered.

Naruto watched him curiously as he went about sweeping up all the glass. He sighed despondently when Sasuke picked his hot pocket from off of the floor and threw it away into the trash bin.

"Aw. I was gonna eat that," Naruto lamented.

"Shut up, idiot. There was probably glass in it, and there were already a few cat hairs sticking to the cheese."

"It's just protein," he argued.

Sasuke ignored him and finished what he was doing. When he'd thrown all the glass away and gone over the floor one more time with the broom just to be sure, he helped Naruto off of the counter.

"You okay?" Sasuke asked him as Naruto leaned against his side. "Do you want any painkillers?"

"Nah. I'm fine. I'm more upset about the hot pocket."

"I don't know how you eat that crap anyway."

Naruto scowled and hobbled away from him. "Because I was hungry."

"I would've made you something had you told me."

"You were busy working."

Sasuke walked up to him where he was leaning against the threshold. He stood close and cupped the side of Naruto's face, his thumb brushing across his cheekbone. The hand moved to the back of Naruto's neck and pulled him in. His lids fluttered shut automatically as their mouths pressed together. Naruto sighed into the kiss as Sasuke's fingers moved through the hair at his nape. They parted, and Naruto had his hand flat to Sasuke's chest. He tugged him by the front of his shirt into a hug.

"See," Naruto whispered into his ear. "I told you you'd be a good doctor."

Sasuke snorted. "I only did it because I had to."

"I would've gotten it out eventually."

"No, you probably only would've made it worse."

"Ye of little faith," said Naruto and he gently kissed Sasuke's chin.

Sasuke flipped off the kitchen light and grabbed for Naruto's hand. "Come on, Tiny Tim, let's get you into bed so you can put your foot up."

"But what about my snack? I'm hungry."

Sasuke led him into the bedroom. "You don't need any snacks. You're getting fat as it is."

Naruto scoffed. "You are so not getting any tonight. Unless you were referring to my cock. In that case, yeah, I can see where you're comin' from."

"You wish." Sasuke pulled back the covers and waited until Naruto was under the top sheet before he covered him with the heavier duvet. "Now just sit there and be good. I'm almost done."

"Would it be distracting if I jerked off while you were working?"

"Yes. Probably." Sasuke took a seat in his desk chair. "Should I put my headphones on?"

"No. I'll just bite my lip when I get to the good part."

Sasuke glanced at him over his shoulder with those intense dark eyes of his. "You better not."

Naruto grinned. "Fine, then hurry up and finish, and I'll let you watch while I do it."

Sasuke put his hand on top of the laptop and closed it. "I think it can wait until morning." He spun the chair toward the bed. "So, you were saying? About letting me watch?"


	5. Naruto's Birthday (crack)

This is more crack than canon!Coffee obviously. It contains StigxNaruto. If you don't know who the Stig is, I'm afraid we can't be friends.

* * *

"So what time do you think you'll be home?" Sasuke asked over the phone.

Naruto had his helmet resting against his hip as he stood next to the bike, watching Kiba riding around the muddy course. "Uh. Maybe around 6 or so? It's about a half hour drive, and we have another hour left to mess around."

"I don't know how I feel about you 'messing around' with Kiba all day."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You know, we offered for you to come with us. You should've taken off work. I thought you liked to get all dirty?"

"Not while on a bicycle, thanks," said Sasuke.

"They're _dirt_ bikes. They aren't just bicycles. I think you woulda had a fun time. And it would've been a good chance to impress me." He lowered his voice, "It'd be sexy if you could ride."

"There are other things I'd much prefer to ride, Naruto."

Blushing, Naruto had to look away from the course. Not that Kiba could've seen him from there, but it was a little odd to have this sort of conversation with another guy while riding dirt bikes through the mud. It was supposed to be _manly_, and having a hard on while riding might prove rather uncomfortable.

He cleared his throat. Sasuke spoke after he'd gone silent.

"So have you at least had a good birthday so far?"

Naruto smiled. "Yeah. It's been nice. I'm lookin' forward to tonight though."

"Oh, why? Is something special happening?" Sasuke feigned ignorance.

"I _know_ you have something planned, Sas."

"What did you just call me?"

"Sas. I got too lazy to finish your name."

"That doesn't bode well for the things I had in mind..."

Naruto chuckled. "I'm never lazy when it comes to _that_. Alright, I gotta go, though. Kiba's stopped on a hill, glaring at me."

"I'll take care of dinner. I have something in mind. Do you want me to pick you up on the way home?"

"Sure. We'll probably head back to Dad's after this so I can shower," he replied and started to straddle the bike.

"Okay. I'll call you when I'm close."

Smirking, Naruto gripped the right handle and squeezed it. "Mm. I like when you do that."

Sasuke sighed. "You're incorrigible. Do you have to take everythng in a sexual way?"

"Yes. If it's you and me talkin'. Then _definitely_ yes."

"I'll see you soon, birthday boy. Try not to kill anybody out there."

"Will do. See ya later, Sas."

Sasuke groaned and hung up on him. Naruto laughed as he put his phone into his jacket pocket and zipped it up. He placed his helmet back on and flipped down the visor. Kick starting the bike, he waved to Kiba and, pulling at the clutch, he shifted into first gear. Slowly releasing the clutch as he pumped the gas, he chased after his friend, a trail of mud spraying out from behind his back wheel.

* * *

By the time he and Kiba had finished screwing around, they were both covered in layers of mud and dirt. They drove back to his Dad's in Naruto's truck. After having a shower, it was already 5.30, so he was just waiting in the basement for Sasuke to call. The three of them were playing some Grand Theft Auto. His Dad's gift to him had been the brand new bike and paying for he and Kiba to spend a few hours at the course. Kiba's gift to him had been his presence.

After a few more minutes, Sasuke called to say he was only a few miles away, so it wasn't another ten minutes before he was coming down the stairs.

"Hey, Sasuke!" said Kiba, waving over his shoulder as he continued playing.

Naruto handed the controller over to his Dad and got off the couch to greet Sasuke. Sasuke kissed him on the cheek.

"Hey," he said to Naruto. "Happy birthday."

"Hi." Naruto smiled at him "See, I didn't kill anybody."

Sasuke put his hand on top of Naruto's head, ruffling his hair. "That's good, because if anything had happened to you, I would've blamed Kiba."

"Oh right, like it's my fault if he doesn't know how to work a clutch!"

Naruto turned around. "What are you talking about? I taught _you_ how to ride."

Kiba was smirking. "Don't say things like that around your boyfriend or he might get jealous."

"Just to let you all know, I'm still here," said Minato. "Back in my day, we used to keep our sex lives on the down low as you kids say today."

"No one says that anymore, Dad." Naruto shook his head. "And I don't wanna hear about your sex life either."

"Why not? Your Mom was a firecracker in bed. How do you think you were born?"

"Oh God, please stop!" Naruto hid behind Sasuke and leaned his forehead against his shoulder. "Are we ready to go or what?"

"I'm thinking that's one more quality you may have inherited from your mother," Sasuke remarked, wrapping an arm around Naruto from behind to pat him consolingly on the back. "But yeah, we should get going."

Naruto perked up. "See, you _do_ have something planned."

"I didn't say that, but your dinner is in a bag in the car, and it's going to get cold."

"Fine, fine. Okay, we're off. Dad make sure you slaughter Kiba if you guys play some CoD. I'll be back tomorrow." Naruto picked up his jacket from off the couch. Neither one of the two men even responded.

"I SAID I'M LEAVING!"

"So go already. We heard you." Kiba waved him away and snickered. "We know you'll be in good hands the rest of the night."

Naruto was set to argue, but Sasuke grabbed for his hand and led him to the stairway.

"Come on," he said to Naruto, speaking softly.

Naruto followed after him, and as they left the house and got into Sasuke's car, he sniffed at the familiar smells coming from the bag.

"Is that what I think it is?" he asked excitedly, ready to tear open the bag. "Did you bring this all the way from Chicago? That one place I like?"

"I did. I even got it with the thicker noodles, just the way you like."

"Oh my fucking God, I love you so much." He unfolded the top of the bag and took a great big whiff of his miso pork ramen with udon noodles. He put his hand on Sasuke's thigh. "You're so good to me."

"I know," said Sasuke, smiling at him as he turned his head. "I still have one more surprise up my sleeve, though, and I do expect to be rewarded for it."

"Sure, I think I have a blowjob in me. Do you want it now?"

"I thought we agreed not to do that while either of us are driving anymore."

Naruto pouted. "Yeah, I suppose that's for the best. My legs are sorta sore from the bike, too, so maybe nothing that requires a lot of acrobatics."

"Don't worry. Whatever we decide on, I can be the one who does all the work."

"Sounds good to me!" He rolled the top of the bag, happy and content. "It's my first birthday with you. Isn't that weird?"

"Hm? How is it weird?" Sasuke glanced from the road to regard him for a second or two.

"You know, just that it feels like you've been in my life as long as Kiba. That we're still together and all that, and, I dunno. I still like you as much as I did the first night I met you. Maybe even more, which I didn't think would be possible."

"You're happy being with me?"

"Very, duh. Are you happy being with _me_?"

Sasuke grabbed for his hand, lacing their fingers. "Of course."

"Okay, if you love me so much, you should tell me what the surprise is!"

"Let me think about it..." said Sasuke. "I'm going to go with... no."

"Bastard," Naruto teased, wistful as he gazed out the window. They were driving by the lake, heading toward Sasuke's apartment, taking the scenic route.

"I'm so happy that that's your term of endearment for me."

Naruto smiled. "Me too."

* * *

Once at Sasuke's apartment, the both of them sat on the stools in the kitchen. Naruto ate his ramen, savoring every last bite, while Sasuke poked at his yakisoba. Ollie was at their feet, waiting for a handout. Eventually he gave up and curled into a ball by Naruto's feet. They chatted about this and that. Sasuke told him about his day at work, and how he'd been given a couple of tickets to see the Fleet Foxes at a small venue in Chicago next month.

Naruto was slurping up a noodle. "What's your favorite song of theirs?"

Sasuke tilted his head to the side. "Blue Ridge Mountains."

"How come that one?"

"Reminds me of my brother."

"Ah. Have you talked to Itachi lately?"

"I'm sure you've talked to him more recently than I have," Sasuke remarked, a hint of jealousy in his tone.

"Don't be like that," said Naruto, pointing his chopsticks at his boyfriend.

"Right. Why do I sometimes get the feeling that if you'd met him first, you would've chosen him over me."

Sighing, Naruto set his chopsticks on top of the bowl. He shifted to face more toward Sasuke. "That's not true at all."

"No?" Sasuke asked, eyebrow arching.

He put a hand on Sasuke's shoulder. "Of course not. Your brother's straight and way too cool to be into me."

Sasuke scowled. "You suck."

"I will if you want me to. Want me to drop down onto my knees now?"

"No," Sasuke said, turning away from him and pouting.

"Come on, _Sa_suke," he whispered, pulling him by the sleeve and nipping at his ear. "Don't be like that."

"You smell like ramen."

Naruto had a very smart reply ready when he heard a knock at the front door and frowned. He looked at Sasuke questioningly. "Are you expectin' somebody?"

"No," Sasuke continued to scowl. "Why don't you make yourself useful and answer it. Maybe it's your buddy Itachi dropping in to wish you a happy birthday?"

"Really?" Naruto asked, slightly excited by the idea.

"I hate you," said Sasuke, and he gave Naruto a shove off the stool as the person at the door knocked for a second time.

"Fine." Naruto got off the stool, sliding across the floor on his socks as he went to answer the door. He opened it wide and then blinked at what he saw in front of him. Stupidly, he pointed. "Y-y-y-you're..."

Without a word, the person stepped into the apartment. Naruto stood there dumbly before he swiveled around, the door still open. Sasuke appeared at the threshold of the kitchen. He leaned against the frame.

"Some say," spoke Sasuke, "That in his spare time he rents himself out for special events like birthdays and Jewish bris and bar mitzvahs. All we know is... they call him The Stig."

Naruto wanted to laugh. He felt his face heating up as The Stig put a hand on his chest and tilted his head to the side. Naruto could see his reflection in the black visor of his helmet.

"Is this really happening?" he asked as he stumbled backward and fell onto the couch.

The Stig was dressed in his white racing suit. He pulled out a small, portable stereo and set it on the coffee table. He turned it on and some sexy song started to blare out of its speakers.

Sasuke had walked into the room, smirking with his arms crossed against his chest. "He wasn't very happy to hear I own a Prius."

"Is... is the Stig about to give me a lapdance?"

"Well, the Stig doesn't necessarily count as another man, so I suppose I can allow it. Enjoy it while it lasts. I'm sure he can handle it, though, since his ass has been seated in an F1 racing car."

"If you tell me he brought the Bugatti Veyron along with him, then I think m'gonna propose to you tonight."

"Sorry," said Sasuke. "There was a waiting list."

The Stig took off one of his gloves and shoved it in Naruto's mouth.

"I guess he's all about getting down to business," Sasuke said slyly.

Naruto alternated between wanting to laugh and genuine confusion as the Stig turned around and wiggled his flat ass around and then dipped it low into Naruto's lap while his arms were out in front of him, moving as if he had his hands on a steering wheel. Never once did the Stig speak a word to either one of them, and after about 15 minutes of gyrating, he quietly got out of Naruto's lap and, picking up his stereo, he let himself out of the apartment without looking back.

Naruto sat there for a while. "What the fuck just happened?"

"Isn't it obvious? The Stig came across the Atlantic to help you celebrate your birthday."

"Nuh uh." Flustered, he stared at Sasuke. "Was that... Kiba?"

Sasuke shrugged. "No one knows the Stig's true identity."

Naruto narrowed his eyes in suspicion. "Itachi wouldn't do that, would he?"

"You think my brother is the Stig?"

He smiled. "Honestly? I wouldn't put it past him."

"Like I'd let my bother give you a lapdance."

"But you'd let Kiba?"

Sasuke came over to him and put one knee up on the couch, and then the other until he was straddling Naruto. He leaned forward.

"Of course not," he answered.

Naruto put his hands on Sasuke's ass. They started to kiss as Sasuke's hand snuck underneath his shirt and traced just above the waistband of his jeans.

When they parted, Naruto smirked. "How would you have felt about a threesome?"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "With the Stig?"

"Sure." Naruto put his hands on either side of Sasuke's waist and rocked his hips up while pulling him down against him.

"Are you even sure he has any genitalia?"

"Good point," said Naruto. "Maybe he could've just watched. You know, sort of like your fantasy of watching me and David Tennant going at it."

"Shut up." Sasuke flicked him in the forehead, leaned in, and kissed him again. "Happy birthday, idiot."

"Thanks. Some say... his sheer awesomeness can give even a straight guy a boner."

"The Stig is amazing in that regard," Sasuke said dryly.

"The Stig?" Naruto smirked. "I was talking about _you_, Sasuke."

"Are you sure you're not gay?"

"Only for you, Sas. Only for you."


	6. Halloween

_Halloween 2008_

_New York City_

* * *

It was a Friday night, and it also happened to be Halloween, so on his way home from his downtown office - while riding the L toward Williamsburg - the subway car was full of crazier people than usual. The youths and a few hipsters were dressed and ready to party, which is what prompted Sasuke to put in his ear buds and turn the volume way up. There was a _Village Voice_ someone had cast aside on the floor, so he picked it up and flipped through it to read Dan Savage's column. He'd stayed later at the smaller office in Chelsea longer than he'd intended. His new boss seemed to be testing him, expecting him to be especially flexible and accommodating. It had only been a few months since he'd transferred from the Seattle office. A friend (and Sasuke used that term loosely) had set him up with a job. Things on the West Coast had been stressful to say the least, so he needed a change. Too many people knew him in Seattle, and he just wanted to move here. Start over. He was young, barely 20, and he knew he had a good job that people would kill for, but he was also experienced in negotiating talent contracts already, promoting the bands, getting tracks on radio rotation, and providing images and branding.

He got off at the Bedford Avenue stop and, scarcely out of the subway, his phone vibrated, showing he had a few missed calls and just as many text messages. Most were from Suigetsu, some were from Karin, and one was a disgusting photo image of Deidara's outfit for tonight. Sasuke shook his head, mindlessly weaving through the overcrowded station exit and sidewalk as he read through his messages. Unfortunately, while he'd found an excellent 2-bedroom apartment, he couldn't afford the rent, so, for the moment, he was sharing the space with Deidara, who was an old friend of Itachi's. However, the only thing the two of them shared in common was the fact they were tried and true members of the queer community. Deidara, a long-haired blond with legs for days, was a high-maintenance queen who enjoyed wearing drag on nights out or any special occasion. Special occasions for his roommate could mean anything, and given that tonight was Halloween, well, there wasn't much hope for Sasuke having a calm, peaceful night at home. In fact, such a night was a rare occurrence anymore.

When he entered the brownstone, he took his shoes off and set them next to the hot pink stilettos already beside the mat in the foyer. A little bit of pink fur hugged the straps around the ankles. As soon as he saved some more money, he would be moving out as soon as possible. Once upstairs, Deidara came flouncing down the hallway, dressed in tight red leather hip huggers and a black cropped mesh shirt with a pink boa thrown around his neck.

"Sasuke! You're home. Did you have a hard day at work, dear? You look so tired. I have a cream you can use for those dark circles and, oh - " The orange tabby that had belonged to Sasuke's mother came scampering out of his bedroom. He always seemed very terrified of the overexcitable blond transvestite. But before he could escape, Deidara picked the cat up in his arms, squeezing him and poking at his pink little nose.

The cat stared drolly at Sasuke, but he really had no sympathy for the animal.

Sasuke unwrapped the scarf from his neck and unzipped his leather jacket, putting it away in the closet as Deidara proceeded to ramble about his day. His roommate was the son of a well to do woman who did interior design for people who liked to import their Carrara marble by the tens of slabs. By day, he was a graduate student at Tisch, studying theatre, but by night, he was glitzed out in Bob Mackie designer dresses. The shinier the better. The good thing, however, about living with such a person, meant that Sasuke had been able to make some valuable connections. Not only that, but while he could score entry to most clubs on his looks or attitude alone, going with Deidara meant he could get in _anywhere_. No waiting; free drinks. The clubs were full of attractive, fit men, most of whom were looking for the same thing as Sasuke - no commitments.

He'd slept with, not a lot, but a handful of men after high school. He'd dove into the alternative music scene and gone through a phase where he felt like fucking (or being fucked) by every good looking male musician he came across that swung that way. After his parents died, his lack of inhibition only worsened. So, for the past few months, he'd spent his time working, sleeping, and fucking the pain away. He had some decent friends, a roof over his head, and a steady income from a job that offered the possibility of travel and real career growth. Work got him through the day, sex got him through the night, and sleep got him through to the next morning. Working in the music industry meant he was often surrounded by drugs. But he didn't dabble in anything too hardcore. He'd tried coke once or twice, and there was always a stash of pot somewhere in his bedroom, but for the most part, he just wasn't interested. If he went out, he drank. He never bought men drinks; they bought drinks for him. So long as they were moderately attractive with a nice face and a fantastic body - he'd go home with them. He wasn't picky. Rarely did he invite someone to his place, but sometimes it happened, and then he'd wake up and wonder who the hell he was sharing a bed with and _why hadn't they left yet_?

While Deidara had been continuing on about whether he should wear his chest plate under his crop top, Sasuke ignored him and moved down the hallway, into his bedroom.

"I'm changing," he said, and then shut the door in his roommate's face, but as he was taking off his shirt, Deidara burst in. Sasuke wasn't particularly body conscious, so he merely narrowed his eyes at him in annoyance. The cat, struggling in the blond's arms, finally managed to escape. He jumped onto the floor and then onto the chair.

"Oh, Sasuke. If I was just a few years younger, you would completely be my type. Of course, your brother would absolutely kill me if I lay a manicured finger on you. How is he, by the way? He hasn't called me in ages."

Mostly tuning the eccentric man out, Sasuke went through his closet, deciding what to wear. Deidara plopped down onto his bed and made himself comfortable, intermittently sniffing at Sasuke's pillows.

"Mm. I smell... a redhead, no wait... who was that boy you were with the other night? Wasn't he a waiter from that bistro down the street?"

"Bartender," Sasuke replied absently as he picked out a black, tight-fitting Armani shirt; a black, hooded wool blazer; and a dark wash pair of Rock & Republic skinny jeans.

"Oh come on," Deidara stopped mid-complaint about a fellow female classmate who he said was cattier than Lindsay Lohan on the rag. "It's Halloween. If you're not going to dress up, then at least wear leather, and trade the wool blazer for a leather one. Are you gay or not? You don't want to look like you do on any other night! Even 15-year-old high school girls understand this is the one day out of the year where it's acceptable to dress like a total slut!"

"I'm not a 15-year-old high school girl," Sasuke replied calmly, ignoring the appreciative whistle his roommate gave as he bent over to work his way into the skinny jeans. "This will be fine. I don't have anyone to impress."

"So cold," said Deidara. "I don't get why all the guys at the clubs always flock right to you. You're a bigger ice princess than Michelle Kwan. I'd say you're more of a Tonya Harding. I can see you bashing someone's kneecap in like that, but you have to admire a woman who grows up in a trailer park."

"What would you know about trailer parks?" Sasuke asked, grabbing a belt from one of the hangers and sliding it through the loops.

"Well, I've seen them on reality TV shows, so I can imagine. So, are you going out with me, or are we separating? Please say yes!"

"I said I'd go with you. Suigetsu and Karin are going to meet us. He might be bringing friends he thinks I'd be interested in."

"Please," said Deidara, "You're not interested in _men_, you're just interested in cock. Frankly, I think it'd be less hassle if you'd just let me buy you a dildo. What size would you prefer, something mini you can fit in your manpurse, or, perhaps, something a bit larger? Maybe of the race horse variety? You know, the other night I was with this _fabulous_ black man who looked just like Taye Diggs and he had the biggest - "

"I don't want to hear any details," Sasuke stopped him, standing in front of the mirror to primp. He grabbed his bottle of cologne off the dresser.

"Don't be such a Heather," Deidara said, throwing a balled up sock at his back. "You can be quite the snob, but God, aren't all the pretty ones? I was going to say he had the biggest _personality_. So, I guess it's safe to assume you won't be coming home tonight? That's good because I'll probably bring someone home, and I intend to be _vocal_. I know how much you hate that."

Sasuke set the cologne aside and opened the top dresser drawer. He grabbed a couple of Trojan condoms and slipped them inside his wallet, which he then put into the back pocket of his jeans.

Deidara hummed coyly at him. "If Itachi could see you now. What a fine, fierce gay man you've grown up to be, Sasuke. You make mama so proud!"

Sasuke's phone went off again. He picked it up and answered.

"What?" he snapped, running his fingers through his hair. "We're getting ready now, or at least I am." There was a pause. "That's fine. We'll meet you at the corner." Another pause. "Don't let her wear that out in public. I won't claim to be with her if she does." Sasuke rubbed the side of his head out of frustration. "I don't care. I'm hanging up now. We'll see you in an hour."

He hung up.

"That sounded interesting," said Deidara. He got up from the bed and stood behind Sasuke in the mirror, helping to fix his hair. He took the jar of wax off the dresser and went about styling it so that it parted slightly to the side and spiked in the back, while the longer pieces framed each side of his face still. "I can't wait to see what little Karin is wearing. I'd just kill to have her red hair. Is she a natural redhead?"

Sasuke sneered. "I wouldn't know."

Deidara chuckled. "God, you look so Asian tonight with this haircut. I love it! It's sickening!"

Sasuke sighed in irritation. That wasn't even worth a response. He ran his thumb over one of his eyebrows, smoothing it.

"There, you look positively fuckable!" Deidara cheered, fluffing out the sides, feathering through the layered bits of fringe. "Although, you always look fuckable." He winked at Sasuke in the mirror and gave his cheek a quick pinch and a kiss that left a lipstick stain the blond then tried to rub off with his sleeve.

Sasuke glowered at their reflections.

"What?" asked Deidara, with the biggest smile. "You love me! Just wait until you go out, you know you'll have a good time. Don't I always show you a good time?"

As much as Sasuke wanted to, he found that he really couldn't disagree. It was never a dull night when he went out with his roommate. And so long as he found someone at least semi-interesting tonight, he'd be satisfied enough.

Sasuke, still looking in the mirror, let his gaze drift to the cat, who was watching them lethargically from his spot on the chair. He gave a yawn, his tail twitching back and forth. Looking at it made him think of his Mom. He batted Deidara's hands away from his hair.

"Are you finished getting ready?" he asked. "We need to leave in 20 minutes."

Deidara shrieked. "That's not even enough time to put on my makeup! I need at least 45 minutes! Ooh, let me put a little bit of black eyeliner on you. You'll look so Goth. Come on, for me? Since you aren't bothering to dress up."

"I will if it'll make you shut up about it," Sasuke agreed, ushering the other man out of the bedroom.

"You're so rough with me. That's no way to handle a lady!"

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "I don't want to be late."

Deidara smiled at him coyly over his shoulder. "You're as anal as you are into it, Sasuke. I swear!"

* * *

_Halloween 2008_

_Joliet, Illinois_

Luckily enough, Halloween this year fell on a Friday, which made it easy for Kiba and Naruto to scheme up the idea of having a party at his Dad's house. Better yet, his Dad decided to go visit some friends in Decatur for the weekend. So, Naruto and Kiba had spent the day at Wal-Mart buying up a truckload of liquor with a fake ID Naruto had been using since high school. As they were shoving the bags into the back seat, Naruto's phone went off in his jacket pocket.

"If that's her again, I'm gonna vomit, dude. That's like the third time she's called since we've gone out."

"Shut up," said Naruto. He leaned against the side of the truck and answered it. "Hey, what's up, babe?" Pause. "No, Kiba and I are just leavin', so we'll be back at the house in about 10 minutes or so, I guess." Pause again. "Yeah, I thought you looked hot in both, so either way is good." Longer pause. "No, I know, but I'm sayin' your ass looked really good in the one with the short, frilly skirt."

Kiba groaned from inside the truck; Naruto flipped him the finger over his shoulder.

"I figure you're gonna be late. Don't worry about it. Come when you're ready, we'll be there." He inclined his head. "Of course Ino's gonna be there, but I don't know what she's wearing." He glanced behind him at Kiba, but the other man shrugged. "Kiba doesn't know either apparently." Naruto chuckled. "Yeah, see. He's not as good a boyfriend as I am." He bit at his lip. "Alright, okay. I'll see ya later. You're stayin' the weekend with me, right?" Short pause. "Sounds good. Bye."

Naruto hopped into the truck and put his seat belt on. He started the engine. Kiba was giving him an annoyed glare.

"What?" he snapped.

Kiba shrugged. "Nothin'. I didn't say anything."

"Whatever. So you really don't know what Ino's gonna dress up as?"

"How should I know? She kept changin' her mind at the last minute. You know girls and Halloween. It'll be something slutty, I hope."

"Heh, yeah."

"So, what has the girlfriend decided to wear tonight?"

"Uh, there were two choices, both equally hot. I think one was a black angel outfit with wings, and the other was one of those, y'know, like, French Revolution outfits with the corsets and the wigs. Except, it also has a short skirt, so either way, I'd be happy. Plus her boobs look great in the corsets."

Kiba sighed. "Yes, I know. She's got a great pair of tits."

"Hey, don't say tits when you're talkin' about her. It's disrespectful."

Kiba laughed, and so did Naruto.

"Ah women," said Kiba. "Can't live with 'em, can't wait to get them home in a skanky outfit and bend them over..."

"Is that how that saying goes?" Naruto pulled out of the parking space. "Besides, I can't think of Ino like that."

"I hope not. I think I'd be sorta upset if you did. Plus it'd just get weird." Kiba turned on the radio and went through two stations before finding something worth listening to. "So, I heard that Gaara's gonna make an appearance. Did he invite himself, or did you invite him?"

Naruto frowned as he took a right onto the highway. "Who told you he was comin'?"

"Ino did. Plus I ran into Gaara's older brother, what was his name? He was, like, a senior when we were freshmen."

"Kankurou," Naruto answered, his mouth forming a thin line. "Yeah, Gaara's gonna show up. Try not to start shit with him this time. I don't get why you guys can't just get along. It's not like he lives in town anymore."

"Yeah probably 'cause there's a warrant out for his arrest."

Naruto snorted. "You're an idiot."

"Whatever, dude. The shit that he used to drag you into in high school. You don't remember all that? 'Cause I do. You nearly got expelled a couple of times. Like, remember when he stole that dude's motorcycle and he picked you up to show it off, and you guys went joyridin' through the country until the cops pulled you over?"

"That was a long time ago. Besides. Gaara's still a friend. He was there for me through some rough shit, alright? So, don't hassle him."

Kiba shook his head. "S'fine with me, but if he starts anything, then I'm gonna let him have it."

Naruto sighed softly. "It'll be fine," he said. "Everyone'll get along. Once Ino shows up, you'll just spend the rest of the night makin' out in the basement."

"True," said Kiba. "But you and the GF are just as bad, if not worse. It's like you become a whole 'nother person when you're around her."

"I do not," Naruto argued. "Is there anyone I hang out with that you _do_ like?"

Kiba thought a minute. "Nope. I don't approve of anyone but me and Ino. A couple of the guys back at school."

"Like who?"

"Neji's alright. And that Lee guy. Are they gonna be there tonight, too?"

"Probably," said Naruto. "I invited everyone on Facebook and then some."

"I hope we have enough alcohol."

"Meh. I told everyone to bring their own, and Cardinal Liquor is gonna deliver the keg at 5.30. It's paid for and everything, including the deposit."

"Oh shit, this is gonna be a wicked party. We're gonna get drunk, both of our girlfriends are gonna look hot. I always think chicks seem hornier when they get to dress up. What do you think?" He turned to look at Naruto.

"Are you really askin' me this?" Naruto smirked.

"Tch. Asshole. You're already thinkin' about it, aren't you? Don't be so cocky just 'cause you're dating an older woman."

"She's not older by that much. But, yeah. She's spendin' the weekend 'til Dad gets home."

Kiba whistled. "She is hot. I gotta admit that."

"Of course she's hot."

"How is she in the sack, though? I mean is she wild or is she pretty passive."

"It depends on her mood," Naruto replied, feeling his phone vibrate again in his pocket. "I'm sure that's not her."

"I'm sure it is. Good thing she's a great shag or she'd come off as really clingy and annoying, huh?"

Naruto sent him a glare. "She's just worried about her costume. I think it's cute."

"Uh huh, whatever you say, bro."

Naruto punched him in the shoulder. "See, look what you're makin' me do while I'm trying to drive. Son, I'm gonna give it to you once we're back to my place."

Kiba laughed, pushing Naruto's arm away. "You're gonna give it to me, eh? So now you swing both ways?"

"Tch. You wish."

"I'm flattered and everything, Naruto, but I'm already with someone. Plus Gaara would probably beat me up. I always thought he was gay for you."

"Hardly. You always think everybody's gay."

"Well, aren't they?" Kiba replied, playing with the zipper of his coat.

"I s'pose I'm hot enough to attract guys, too, right?" He ran his hand through his hair, trying to be smooth, but Kiba just laughed at him.

"I'm not gonna touch that one, dude."

"Are you sure?" Naruto grabbed for his friend's hand, trying to pull him over, directing it toward his crotch.

Kiba laughed and squirmed away. "You dick. Fuck off."

"Heh." Naruto let him go. They were turning into the driveway. He parked in front of the garage and turned off the ignition. "Well, are we ready to get this party started?"

"I'm ready for a drink, that's for sure."

Naruto nodded. "Alright, let's bring the bags in and maybe have a few drinks. You left your costume downstairs, right?"

"Yeah, no worries. It'll take me all of 15 minutes to get dressed. Yours should take all of five seconds."

"Probably," Naruto agreed, opening the car door. "Let's do it."

"God, stop hittin' on me, Naruto. You're such a fag."

"Suck it, Inuzuka. Now help me get this shit out of the truck and into the kitchen."

* * *

There was a line already forming outside of the Eastern Bloc, between Avenues A and B. Suigetsu and Karin were waiting on the corner for them. Suigetsu had dressed as casually as Sasuke, but Karin was dressed like a house dominatrix ready for a fetish ball, in a vinyl red babydoll dress, red thigh high boots, and a matching collar. She had a headband with horns attached to it and a devil's tail clipped to the back of the dress. As soon as Deidara caught a glimpse of Karin's costume, they both squealed at each other and ran to hug. Suigetsu walked over to Sasuke, his hands in the pockets of his jeans.

"See, this is much tamer than what she was wearing before," Suigetsu told him. "I told her to leave the flogger at home, too."

"I think that was for the best," replied Sasuke. When the two _women_ were done complimenting one another, Karin shuffled over to Sasuke as gracefully as she could while balancing on boots with a 4-inch heel. She hugged Sasuke and kissed him on each cheek.

"You boys are no fun tonight. Why won't you ever dress up? It's so much more fun this way!" Karin looped her arm with Deidara's.

"Sasuke's no fun," Deidara pouted. "Well, shall we enter, my little VIP friends?"

Suigetsu and Sasuke followed them in through the front entrance after the (rather attractive) bouncer unchained the rope and let them inside, but not before Sasuke met his eyes and gave him a sly smile. He could feel the man's eyes on him even as they started into the short hallway that led to the bar.

"He was totally checkin' you out," Suigetsu said in his ear. "If you don't want him, can I have 'em?"

Sasuke smirked. "I don't think you could handle him."

"Oh c'mon. As soon as we get in there, there's gonna be guys all over you. You can't hog 'em all. Don't be such a cockblock."

Karin turned around and shouted at him. "Don't call Sasuke a cockblock. It's your own fault you're a lousy lay and you always have to rely on Sasuke to score."

"Like you should talk. You're dressed like a whore, but you came to the wrong bar. Why don't you try hangin' out with your own species, Karin."

"You're such a sexist pig. Gay men are so much more fun to hang around than straight men. I'm not here to get laid, I'm here to have fun. You're just jealous that the men here are gonna give me way more attention than you because I have personality, and all you have is a 2 inch dick."

"How would you know how big his dick is, Karin?" Sasuke asked with a smirk. He watched Deidara as he bounced up to the bar and shamelessly leaned over it. His mini skirt was short enough that a hint of rounded cheeks were being revealed to the whole room.

"Ha ha, yeah. How would you know?"

"Shut up. You're such a loser. I'm getting a drink. Sasuke, do you want one? Same as usual?"

Sasuke nodded. "Sure, thanks." He stopped to scan the room. Beside him, Suigetsu was mumbling complaints about Karin that he couldn't hear over the music anyway.

"See anyone yet?" Suigetsu asked.

"That's none of your business." But yes, Sasuke already saw some men with potential, especially a guy across the room, leaning against the wall, chatting to a blond, skinny twink, who liked to move his arms way too animatedly as he spoke. The guy looked bored, and he happened to glance Sasuke's way. He smirked; Sasuke did the same. As soon as Karin put a drink in his hand, he walked purposefully to the other side of the room. The attractive man - a little taller than Sasuke, dark brown hair, hazel eyes, a bit of stubble - smiled at him.

"Excuse me," said the blond nastily. "Uh, we're talking here?"

Sasuke didn't even bother to respond or look at him. His eyes were on this man.

"Can I buy you a drink?" he asked Sasuke.

Sasuke's eyebrow arched. He handed him the one Karin had bought.

"Now you can," he said. "I thought I'd come rescue you. You looked bored."

The man moved closer, playing with the bottom of Sasuke's jacket. "You think you can show me a fun time then?"

Sasuke's gaze dropped the length of his body then all the way up to his face again. "Yeah," he said. "I can think of one or two things I'd like to show you."

He turned toward the bar, the man in tow behind. He slipped his arm around Sasuke's waist.

"You're really sexy," he whispered in Sasuke's ear. "You've gotta be the hottest guy in here."

"You think so?" Sasuke turned his head, bringing their mouths close. The other man's breath smelled of cigarette smoke, and he liked it. "Do you live in the city?"

"I do. Why?"

Sasuke smirked. "Because I need a place to stay tonight."

"I think I can find room for you somewhere. It might be a tight squeeze though." He bit his lip. There was something endearing about the gesture Sasuke liked but didn't know why.

"Don't worry. I've been in tighter places, I'm sure."

"I bet you have. What's your name?"

"Sasuke."

"Sasuke, hm? You don't need to ask mine? I suppose it doesn't matter?"

"Not particularly, no. But you might want to remember mine for later." He leaned in, took hold of the man's chin, and kissed him with assurance. "How about we just grab a drink at your place?"

"I think I can handle that."

"Good," said Sasuke. He put his hand on the man's lower back and ushered him through the crowd. Suigetsu, Karin, and Deidara all watched him leave, whistling and catcalling behind him. Suigetsu was shaking his head as Sasuke passed.

"So," he yelled after Sasuke. "Does that mean I can have the bouncer?!"

* * *

The party had started only an hour ago. Loud music was thumping from inside the house. There was already a large crowd. Most people Naruto knew, but there were some he didn't. Not that he cared. About a dozen or so people were outside. He and Kiba had built a bonfire. Ino had arrived, wearing a skintight naughty nurse's uniform and had her hair up in a side ponytail. Just as Naruto was sitting down on one of the benches after having grabbed a beer, he felt a tap on the shoulder. Looking up, his eyes widened.

"Gaara," he said and smiled.

The flames reflected in Gaara's eyes, a deep shade of green.

"Hey, Naruto. Long time no see."

"No shit." He dragged his old friend into a hug. "Where's Temari and Kankurou? Did they come, too?"

"They're in the kitchen. Ran into some people they knew." He looked over Naruto's shoulder. "Hey, Kiba."

"Yo." Kiba put his hand up, offering a short wave of the hand. Ino was sitting on his knee, Kiba's coat around her shoulders.

"He's happy to see you, I swear," said Naruto, smiling.

Gaara didn't return his smile, but he had always been his own sort of person, which was a great quality. It just meant that he didn't smile or laugh a whole lot, though Naruto had seen him do it more than most probably. Gaara had always been a fiercely loyal friend. Sure, they'd gotten into trouble together in high school, but Gaara was the type to never sell a friend out. It wouldn't even occur to him.

"I hear you have a girlfriend," said Gaara. "Is she here?"

"Uh, I haven't seen her yet. She tends to run late to these things."

"Would I like her?"

"Er..." Naruto cocked his head. "...Probably not."

"I remember when you used to have a thing for my sister." Gaara smirked.

Naruto snickered. "You ass. That was a long time ago. Besides, your sister would probably have beaten me up had I ever tried to ask her out."

"Probably." Gaara glanced around at the others gathered around the fire. "How's your Dad?"

"He's good, thanks for askin'." He put his hand on Gaara's shoulder. "He's in Decatur for the weekend."

Gaara nodded but didn't say anything else.

"So, can I get you somethin' to drink. There's stuff for mixed drinks or there's some beer? Or, how 'bout I just go with you and that way I can say hi to your brother and sister."

"Sounds good."

They walked away from the fire, toward the house. Naruto, casually, draped his arm over Gaara's shoulder and pulled him close, letting their sides bump.

"God, it's so fuckin' good to see you, Gaara. I've missed you. You have no idea." And he meant it. He hadn't realized how much he'd missed Gaara until he saw him again. His hair was a little shorter than the last time he'd seen him, but there was something about being with Gaara that calmed him, even if it meant he was reminded of the rough couple years after his mom passed away. He felt Gaara sneak an arm around his waist.

Naruto laughed. "Let's just try not to steal someone's car or burn anyone's house down tonight, alright?"

Gaara chuckled softly. "We can try. But where would the fun be in that?"

"We're not juveniles anymore, though. We won't get off so lightly."

"I guess we'll just have to leave no evidence behind."

"Mm, yeah. I like the way you think." He hugged Gaara even closer, until his head was resting against the other's. "I think Kiba's a little jealous that you're here."

"Good. So it's just like we're back in high school then."

"C'mon. You're both good friends of mine. He promised not to pick any fights."

Someone held the door open for them as they went inside the house and walked toward the kitchen. Music was thumping, people were drinking from red solo cups. Women in skimpy costumes were sitting on the kitchen counters.

"Looks like you still know how to throw a party," said Gaara.

"Heh. Of course. What will you have? Want me to make somethin'? Ah, there's your sister. I'mma say hi." There was an attractive blond woman standing by the refrigerator, speaking with a feminine looking guy with long, brown hair. He went to the woman and grabbed her around the waist, lifting her up in the air and over his shoulder.

"Naruto, you jerk," she cried, laughing and hitting his back until he let her down again.

"Hey," he said, smiling widely. "Look who's grown up."

Temari looked him up and down and whistled. "Shit, Naruto. I guess this means you're legal now, but Gaara said you have a girlfriend. An older woman, is that, right?"

"Only by a few years, yeah." He rubbed the back of his neck sheepishly.

"Look at you blushing. Please. No need to be modest. Do you remember that party you went to, the one you lost your virginity at?"

"Oh, Jesus." Naruto started to walk away, but Temari grabbed the back of his costume (a flight suit from Top Gun; he had the aviator glasses on top of his head). He pulled them down over his eyes so that he wouldn't have to look at her.

"I _knew_ that girl. She thought you were cute, too, and you didn't even call her afterward. Men are such pigs." She turned to the guy she'd been speaking with. "Don't you think?"

"I kind of like some of them that way," he answered.

She giggled. "You would."

"Anyway," Naruto said and cleared his throat. "I, uh, should really get back to Gaara. I was gonna make him a drink."

"Yeah, sure. Run away. But I want to meet this girlfriend of yours. I need to know she's good enough for you."

Before Naruto left her, he leaned in and kissed her on the cheek. "It's good to see you, Temari."

She smiled at him fondly and tugged at a piece of his hair. "Good to see you, too, Naruto. You look happy. That makes me happy."

"I'm pretty happy, yeah. I'll see you later. Help yourself to whatever. Food, drinks, anything."

"Okay. Bye, Naruto."

He waved and went back to Gaara, who'd apparently grabbed four shot glasses and filled them nearly to the brim with tequila. He held one and handed another to Naruto.

"What should we drink to?" Naruto asked.

Gaara shrugged. "To old friends."

"Yeah, I'll drink to that." They knocked the glasses together. "Cheers." He finished and wiped his hand, grabbing for the next one. "Now let's drink to me gettin' laid tonight if she ever shows up."

Gaara smirked. "Yeah, I'll drink to that."

Naruto smiled and took the second shot. As he set the glass on the counter, he felt an arm slide around his waist. He saw the pale blond hair; he felt the curvy body slide against his.

"You're here," he said, looking her up and down slowly. "God you look fuckin' hot in that. Holy shit. It was worth the wait."

"Yeah, you think so? It's not too tight?"

"Um..." He checked again, eyes stopping at her chest, which was nearly bursting out of the corset. "I think, uh. I think it could be tighter." Naruto kissed her briefly on the lips. "I want you to meet someone. This is the guy I've told you about. We were best friends in high school."

"Oh, really. So, you're Gaara? Naruto's told me some interesting things about you." She held out her hand.

Gaara stared at it for only a few seconds before taking it in his. "I'm Gaara."

"Gaara," said Naruto. "This is my girlfriend."

"I'm Shion," she said, shaking the younger man's hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

-

The lights were off. The curtains were open. The loft apartment was a ways uptown, in a nice neighborhood a little east of Central Park. The sheets were silk. Sasuke threw them back, his hand flat as it followed the curve of his new friend's spine. He picked up the condom, tearing the wrapper open with his teeth and throwing it onto the floor.

"Pass me the lube, will you," he said, and the other man grabbed the bottle from off the nightstand and held it behind him.

Sasuke finished rolling on the condom and reached for it, but the other man pulled it away.

"Very cute," he said dryly and slapped his ass soundly.

The brown-haired man chuckled and gave it to him finally. Sasuke took it, uncapped it, and poured it over himself, coating the condom. He slid his fingers along the guy's crack before getting in place behind him. He pushed the cheeks apart and entered him slowly. The other man groaned throatily, back bowing and ass lifting higher, gripping tightly around Sasuke.

Sasuke put his hand on the other's shoulder, pushing him down against the bed. He started to thrust inside of him as a full moon hung in the sky, spilling moonlight over their bodies. It felt good, but there was something robotic about it, like he was just going through the motions. He didn't care about what this person did, where he'd come from, or even what his name was. He'd forgotten it already.

This was fine. Tomorrow would be another day. There'd be someone new.

Underneath him, the man moaned Sasuke's name, grabbed for his thigh and pulled him in. Sasuke sunk in all the way, pushing at his shoulder again until he lay completely flat. Sasuke's arms were on either side, body positioned like a push up as he rotated his hips in a circle, grinding hard, going deep until he had him biting at the pillow and moaning incoherently.

Fucking was good because there wasn't room to think about anything else when he was doing it. It was like therapy except he got to come at the end of it, and it was a hell of a lot cheaper.

* * *

By the end of the night, Naruto was wasted. There were still a lot of people in the house, but he wasn't in any state to care. He was walking up the stairs, leading Shion up to his room. He was holding her hand. She was tipsy. She had to be because she kept giggling and smacking his ass. They went into his room and, luckily, no one had tried to sneak in there. He pushed her toward the bed and she fell onto it, laughing. Her legs were spread across the sheets. Naruto grinned at her wolfishly as he leaned against the door, closing and locking it.

He unzipped the costume, kicked off his shoes, and slipped the flight suit off the rest of the way until he was only in a shirt and boxers. Naruto got onto the bed, on his knees and crawled over his girlfriend, lowering his head to kiss the curve of her breasts as they pushed out of the black, feathered corset. The feathers tickled his chin.

Shion sighed his name as he kissed her neck and bit it lightly. She wrapped her arms around his neck, fingers winding through his hair. She pulled him down on top of her and kissed him as he dragged his hands down the sides of her body, lifting up the tulle skirt of hers that had barely covered her ass the entire night. Naruto couldn't help himself. He grabbed her thigh and forced her leg around his waist. Shion helped him get his shirt off and over his head.

"Don't rip it," she said. "The zipper's in the back." She arched up into him so he could get his hand underneath and unzip the corset part of the costume. He got it down as far as it would go and tugged it lower. He kissed the top of her left breast, squeezed it in his hand and, with his eyes on hers, teased the nipple with his tongue before taking it in his mouth to suck on it.

She squirmed underneath him, arching her back even more. He sucked harder and let his fingers brush across the crotch of her black silk panties, pushing them to the side. He touched her, and she was already a little damp.

"You're such a tease," she said, her voice low and sexy.

He let the nipple slip from his mouth and rose up to kiss her while rubbing her clit with his two fingers.

"Want me to skip the foreplay?" he asked. "I'll be happy to get right to it."

She laughed; her cheeks were red, her breath smelled like alcohol. He slid the tip of his finger inside her and she gasped, the skin between her pale eyebrows wrinkling.

"Or maybe not," he breathed against her jaw. "This works for me, too."

He went in deeper and then slid all the way out so that he could kiss his way down her body again. He kissed her breasts, the upper part of her smooth, tan stomach, and then lower. He pushed her skirt up further as he mouthed sloppy kisses against her thighs. He let out a puff of hot air against her.

Shion moaned, and, encouraged, he slid his tongue in, licked up and down, tasted her. He took her clit between his lips and sucked, tongued it, even bit it until her slender hips were bucking frantically as he spread her more with one hand while the other squeezed at the inside of her thigh.

He couldn't even hear the music anymore as her thighs pressed against his ears, and he wiggled two fingers inside her as she dug the heels of her feet into his shoulder blades.

It was like nothing else existed outside of this room; nothing, for Naruto, was better than making the person he cared about feel good, and according to the noises Shion was making, his girlfriend must've been feeling pretty _fucking_ fantastic.

* * *

The morning after, Sasuke snuck out after putting his clothes back on. He'd probably gotten a whole three hours of sleep. They'd fucked most of the night, slept an hour, fucked again, and then passed out. He wasn't that cold. He did kiss the guy goodbye before he passed out again.

Sasuke found his way out. In the elevator, he tried to fix his hair since, according to his reflection, he wasn't nearly as preened and collected as last night. He opened his wallet as he walked toward the subway, searching for his Metrocard. The subway wasn't very crowded since it was so early on a Saturday morning. He kept his phone off. He wasn't in the mood to read or listen to all the stupid messages his friends had undoubtedly left for him during the course of the night. He just hoped by the time he got back to his place, Deidara's overnight guest would be gone.

He just wanted to shower, go back to bed, maybe do a little work later in the afternoon before going out again in the evening.

He should also call Itachi maybe. He should've called him last night probably. It'd probably been a week since Sasuke had talked to him.

Sasuke's gaze darted up as a couple entered the subway car, laughing and smiling. It was almost sickening. He made sure to scowl, not that they noticed. As the train started moving again, he let his eyes fall shut. Feeling relaxed, he started to drift off, but like always, he'd somehow manage to wake up at the right stop at just the right time.

* * *

Naruto woke up naked in his bed with a dull throb pulsing right at the front of his skull. His face was sticking to the pillow, where he'd drooled on it. He lifted his head, glancing at the clock. It was just past noon. Sluggishly, he sat up and noticed the other side of the bed was empty. Surely, Shion hadn't left. He thought she'd said she was staying the weekend? The sheet pooled at his hips as he searched around the bed for a note of some kind. Maybe she was just downstairs.

Naruto stretched his arms and ran his hand through his hair before falling back down on the bed again. He recalled little bits and pieces of last night and, licking his lips, he realized he really needed to brush his teeth. Naruto yawned, scratched his chest and forced himself to roll out of bed. He picked up his pair of boxers from last night and pulled them on quickly. One side hung lower on his right hip than his left.

He went into the bathroom, which is where he found the Post-It from Shion that said she'd be back later in the evening. Apparently she'd been called in to work. Naruto frowned, peeling back one of the note's corners before ripping it off the mirror and throwing it in the trash. Naruto looked at his own reflection. He had bite marks on his neck and a couple of scratches on his chest. His hair didn't look so hot either, but he didn't care.

After he brushed his teeth, he went downstairs to see what sort of damage had been done. It wasn't too bad, and it even looked like someone had cleaned up. He had a feeling that might've been Ino and Temari, since they'd remained fairly sober throughout the night as far as he could remember. He wasn't even sure if he'd seen Gaara off. Kiba'd probably gone back to Ino's, or maybe they were down in the basement, but when Naruto called down the stairs, no one answered.

It was sort of weird that last night the house had been full to bursting with people, and now he was the only one here. It was a little lonely, but he guessed there was something peaceful about it. It would've been nice if Shion could've stayed. He could've made them breakfast. They could've just sat around doing nothing all day like they used to.

Since the cleaning had already been done, there wasn't much left for him to do. He looked around the empty kitchen, scratching his calf with his other foot.

"Weird," he said aloud. It was just too quiet. He liked noise. He liked having people around. In fact, he rather hated being alone.

There wasn't much else to do, so he went down into the basement and turned on the PS3, hoping that someone would show up sooner or later to keep him company.

* * *

_Halloween 2012_

_Joliet, Illinois_

The coffee table had been pushed to the other end of the living room so that they could sit side by side while leaning with their backs to the couch. Naruto had his legs drawn up. Sasuke was cross-legged with Ollie comfortably lying in his lap. He had the controller in hand. They were (Sasuke was anyway) playing Assassin's Creed III, but they'd gotten stuck on a part that comes shortly after disembarking the ship, where they're supposed to use this musket to shoot this barrel on the ground. Naruto had tried several times, but the gun wouldn't shoot for some reason. Frustrated, he handed over the controller to Sasuke.

"Why don't we just look at a walkthrough?" Naruto suggested.

"No, I refuse to give up on this. There's got to be a trick to it."

"Yeah, like Ubisoft is a piece of shit and screwed up the game." He put his right arm on the couch, stretching it so that it went around Sasuke's shoulders.

It was past 11, and it'd been one of the tamest Halloweens Naruto had experienced in a long time, which was alright. This past weekend, they'd gone out with Kiba and Ino to the bar to drink and party, but tonight, considering the lousy weather, they'd opted to stay in and play video games. There was an empty pizza box sitting on top of the coffee table.

"So, did you get a chance to talk to Suigetsu at all? Is he doin' alright after the storm?"

"He's fine. He texted yesterday to tell me his power was back on."

"Ah, that's good. Everyone else you know over there doin' okay?"

"As far as I know," Sasuke replied. "Fuck it. I'm tired of this. I think I'm supposed to zero in on it with L1 and fire."

"Oh shit! _There_ it goes. Good job."

The barrel exploded, destroying the gate. The character marched through it to pick it up only to get attacked by more guards. Naruto yawned.

Sasuke paused the game to look at him. "You tired?"

"Kinda, yeah, but keep playin' if you want. I can always pass out on the couch."

"It's fine. Let's just go to bed." Sasuke saved the game and powered off the console, rousing a softly snoring Ollie who'd fallen asleep. Naruto scratched the cat behind his ear.

"See, he's tired, too," he said, smiling. "It must be such a rough life."

Naruto leaned into Sasuke, resting his head on his shoulder. They watched the cat as Sasuke insisted on torturing him by poking at Ollie's ears, making each one twitch whenever he touched it.

"What's he thinking?" Naruto asked.

"Well, he's purring so he can't be too upset. He's probably dreaming of a nice lady cat he can rape."

"He must take after you seeing as how he doesn't mind being molested. Except instead of your ears, it's somethin' else that usually twitches."

"Ha ha," Sasuke tilted his head to rest it against Naruto's. "Don't be so crass in front of my cat. He's getting old. Those sorts of things might be too much for his heart."

"Meh. I'm sure he's heard or seen worse if he's been with you for as long as he has."

"And what's that supposed to mean?" Sasuke asked him good-humoredly, taking a piece of Naruto's hair and pushing it to the side so that fell into place behind his ear. He held onto it and then let it go so that he could cup Naruto's cheek. "Kiss me?"

The corner of Naruto's mouth curled at the request. "Want me to?"

"Yeah."

Naruto leaned in slowly, grinning lop-sidedly. Sasuke met him halfway. Gently, Naruto kissed him, lingering longer on his top lip before kissing the bottom. It made his heart skip a beat or two. As they parted, he sighed.

"Ready for bed?" Sasuke asked him.

"Mm, yeah," he murmured, and Sasuke leaned in to kiss him one more time before they got to their feet.

Naruto stretched as Sasuke set the tired cat on the couch, where after glancing at the both of them placidly, he curled up again and shut his eyes. Naruto moved the coffee table back into place and Sasuke grabbed the empty pizza box to throw away in the kitchen. Naruto waited for him in the doorway. Sasuke met him there, ruffling his hair and pushing him toward the bedroom.

"Did you have a Happy Halloween?" Naruto asked as they both got into their pj's. It was cold tonight, even with the heat on, so they both wore sweatpants and t-shirts. "I'm sad we didn't get any trick-or-treaters. I bet Dad got some at the house."

"I'll be happier once we get under the covers," Sasuke replied as he clapped the laptop closed and proceeded to pull back the sheets and comforter. Naruto helped by getting rid of the throw pillows. He went to turn off the lights and shut the door. Carefully, he avoided tripping on the pillows and got into bed. Now that he was _in_ bed, he didn't feel all that tired anymore.

"What did you do last Halloween?" he asked Sasuke.

"Got drunk at some pub in London. Passed out in a colleague's flat."

Naruto wondered if there was more to the story, but he didn't ask for details. "Eh well, that's probably a lot more exciting than what we did tonight."

"Not really," said Sasuke and, underneath the sheet, he grabbed for Naruto's hand, lacing their fingers. "What did you do last Halloween?"

"Hung out with Kiba and Ino and some other people, but I think I've done that every Halloween for the past four years."

"Oh yeah?"

"Mm. When I was in college, we used to have a big party at my house, but we haven't done that for the last couple of years." Naruto squeezed Sasuke's hand. It was warm, and he thought he could feel Sasuke's pulse.

"Why not? You could've had one this year if you wanted."

"Nah. Maybe I'm gettin' too old for that sorta stuff."

Sasuke snorted. "You just turned 24. You're hardly an old man."

"You know what I mean though. The gettin' so trashed you barely remember what happened the night before. I do miss all the sexy girls and their skimpy outfits." Even though it was dark, he looked at Sasuke and smiled at him.

"Sorry," said Sasuke. "It didn't occur to me to dress up for you tonight. I could've worn one of those slutty costumes with the short skirts."

"Heh. Yeah. Those are my favorite. You in a skirt could be pretty hot, but what would you wear under it?"

"What would you like me to wear under it? Nothing? Or should I get kinky and try for some silk panties?"

Naruto groaned. "Is it weird that I just got turned on a little?"

Sasuke chuckled. "It doesn't surprise me. I'm sure you've had girls dress up for you on Halloween before, but never men."

"I can't really see you as the type to dress up for Halloween. Probably too cool for that."

"Not true," replied Sasuke. "I used to dress up as a kid."

"So, like what? Superheroes? What did you dress up as?"

"I remember a Halloween when I was about... 8 or so. Itachi would've been 13, and we went as Mario and Luigi."

Naruto laughed. "Really? God I'd kill to see pictures of that."

"Maybe you can ask Itachi. He's your new best friend, after all."

"Oh, shut up, don't be like that."

"Naruto?" Sasuke's voice went quieter as he brushed his fingers over Naruto's.

"Hm?"

"Can I ask you something I've been curious about?"

"Sure, yeah. Of course. S'up?"

Sasuke waited a little while - maybe half a minute - before asking, "Your last girlfriend before we got together, the one you said you'd broken up with a year before we met..."

Surprised by the question, Naruto breathed in deeply through his nose. "Yeah?"

"Why did you keep getting back together with her after the first time you'd broken up?"

"Would you hit me if I said it was the sex?" He joked.

"Probably, yes."

Naruto released Sasuke's hand just so that he could flatten it on top of Sasuke's so that their palms pressed together. "Did Kiba say somethin' to you? Or Ino?"

"Does it matter?"

"I guess it shouldn't." He sighed even though he thought it was likely the case, but it's not like Sasuke would rat them out. "I dunno. Um. I suppose it was just easy to fall back into a relationship with her. We'd been together for so long. It was convenient, and, at first, we talked a lot more about things, but as time went on, it just became... different."

"Different how, do you think?"

Naruto was starting to get uncomfortable. He let go of Sasuke's hand to scratch his chest. "She got this job my junior year of college, and so we didn't see each other as much. I guess we just... grew apart."

"But you thought about marrying her. You must've loved her."

Naruto turned his head on the pillow, trying to make out Sasuke in the dark but only getting a hazy outline of his face. "Why are you bringin' this up?"

"I'm not meaning to be nosy. It's more like I'm being morbid. I want to think that, you know, even if there was ever a chance I should do something to piss you off, I'd hope that you'd still at least care about me. That you wouldn't regret having loved me."

"That _is_ morbid. I don't really wanna talk about this. It's like me askin' about your sex life prior to us meeting."

"If you did have questions, though, I'd answer them."

Naruto frowned. "I answered your question, didn't I? We were young, or at least I was, and, I didn't really wanna settle down, but I guess I thought that's what we were headed toward, and I did love her, but there was a part of me that knew she wasn't _the_ one."

"Would you have married her if things had gone differently? Like if she'd pushed it."

"Sasuke. C'mon."

"I'm not threatened or jealous, Naruto. I just," he paused, "I'm curious about what you were like before I knew you. If I'm jealous of anything it's that people like Kiba or Ino, or your ex-girlfriend - anyone from that time - that they know a you that I'll never be able to know."

"Why, though?" asked Naruto. "To be honest, Sasuke. I was a dumbass. I did some stupid shit in high school, and I got led around by my dick in college by an older woman who decided in the end I wasn't good enough for her. But I don't hate her. I get why Kiba and Ino didn't like her maybe, but..." He stopped and rubbed his forehead.

"I don't think you would've liked me. Who I was, even just a few years ago."

"You've said that before, but I told you you're still that same you, and I'm probably that same guy I was when I was 20, but I'd like to think I've learned from my mistakes at least a little bit. Don't you think you have, too? For as confident as you are, or at least as confident as you try to come off, I don't think you give yourself enough credit. Putting aside the shit about you that you think I wouldn't like from back then, do you know how awesome you are now? You're a fucking genius. You're good at everything you do. You have a job that you're really great at. Your sense of humor is amazing, and you're incredibly sexy and attractive." Naruto rolled over to Sasuke's side and threw an arm over his waist. "Maybe I don't get it 'cause all I've known is the you that you've always shown me. I can't see you any other way than this."

"But I wasn't always like this. I'm only this way because of you," argued Sasuke.

"Maybe we've influenced each other since we've been together, but from the instant you sat down at my table that day, I mean... there's no way I could've done much. You already felt like a best friend to me at that point."

"_You_, Naruto, you asked me to sit down," Sasuke pointed out. "Who else would've done that? It's not like you were the only one there that day, and I thought you were just some punk college kid."

"Oh right, like you've never been invited by a guy to sit down at his table."

"Not without him wanting something from me, no. I haven't. I didn't. That's what made the difference. The way I reacted to you after that was because of the chain of events you put into effect after being idiotically selfless."

"Wait, are you making fun of me or complimenting me?"

Sasuke sighed. "I'm saying you've changed me."

"You changed yourself." Naruto squeezed Sasuke's hip with his hand, moved it up his side, and then let it come to rest on Sasuke's chest. "I loved Shion, yeah. Or that Naruto loved her anyway, and yes, that Naruto is me, but I also was aware even then that it wasn't the be all, end all sort of love. I didn't know that I could feel the way you make me do, but I _hoped_ that existed. After her, did I think I could find it? I dunno. But then you came along and changed a lot of things."

"Shut up," Sasuke whispered.

Naruto moved his hand to Sasuke's cheek. "Why? Am I tellin' you things you don't wanna hear?"

"I never really expected to feel guilty about my past, and it's not because of what you think. I don't regret any of the choices I made, because, ultimately, they've led me here. However, I do regret not ever thinking I deserved to have someone like you in my life. Not for my sake, but for yours. I feel like you deserve to be with someone who thought more of themselves than I did. When I lost my parents I hit rock bottom, and it only got worse when - "

"Sasuke," Naruto brushed his thumb along the curve of Sasuke's jaw, wanting him to relax. "You think I did any better after I lost my Mom? I pulled a lot of stupid crap with my friend Gaara. I acted out. I was a dick to my Dad. Anything you might've done... I wouldn't judge you. It makes me sad that you would've ever felt worthless. It makes me angry actually. But like you said, that's the stuff that's made you who you are. You're the Sasuke I love, so that means I love the Sasuke you were at 19, 20, 21, whatever, 'cause he's still in you somewhere."

Sasuke suddenly took hold of his hand and rolled them both over until he was on top. "What about you?"

"Huh?"

"Should I love the you who's been with other people besides me? I'm not nearly as selfless as you are."

"You are so. More than you realize."

"Admit it. You stayed with her for the sex."

Sasuke sounded almost serious, but Naruto laughed anyway.

"Sorry, first of all, it's funny to hear that comin' from you since you've had way more partners than me and way more sex."

"Most of which I didn't give a damn about. At least I asked your name when we met. I wouldn't have done that at 20."

"Fine. The sex was good, but we'd been together a long time. Sex with you is different for obvious reasons, but it's _better_. It's better because the way I feel about you is a thousand more times intense, and it was already like that from the first time we slept together, so stop bein' such a cynical, jealous bast - "

Sasuke cut him off with a rough kiss, both of his hands pressing to either side of Naruto's face. But just as quickly, Sasuke rolled off of him, to his side of the bed. Naruto blinked up at the ceiling, confused by what had just happened.

He glanced at Sasuke. "What was that for?"

"Because," Sasuke answered.

"You just wanted me to shut up?"

"No, idiot. I just wanted to kiss you."

"Well, alright then." Naruto licked his lips. "Glad we had this, uh, talk?"

"Shut up. Go to bed."

"Sure, now that you're done talkin', I have to go to bed? I'm wide awake."

"Not my problem."

"Asshole. Tell me why I love you again?"

Sasuke gave a yawn. "Because the sex is fantastic, and I'm your soul mate. Sorry, but you're stuck with me. Forever. Indefinitely."

"I suppose there are worse places I could be. Worse people I could end up with."

"I can think of a few. One day I'll have to introduce you to Deidara."

"Yeah, you've mentioned him before. He was your brother's friend?"

"We lived together in New York for a while, too. A little over six months."

"Was he really that bad?"

"He wasn't... bad. He was just extremely flamboyant."

"Heh. I can see how that'd get on your nerves after a while, but six months is still a long time, especially if you were all young and broody as I imagine you to be around that age."

"I guess you could say that. I'd add promiscuous into the mix, as well."

"I was trying to leave that out."

"But you said sex with me is good. That didn't happen by accident."

"I think I'll go to bed now," said Naruto.

Sasuke snickered. "I knew that'd shut you up."

"Yeah, well. You suck."

"Only you."

"How romantic," Naruto teased. "Those would make great wedding vows."

"I'm willing if you are."

"Shut up, Sasuke. Go to bed. You're gettin' on my nerves."

Naruto rolled to his side, facing away from Sasuke. There were a few minutes of silence before the sheets rustled between them and Sasuke shifted over to lay behind him. He put his arm around Naruto's waist.

"You went too far," Sasuke breathed against the back of his neck.

"Did I?"

"Mm." Sasuke whisper-sang. "I need you so much closer."

"You never sang in anyone else's ear, did you?"

"Nope. You're the only one. Aren't you lucky."

"I am. It makes me happy."

"You make me happy."

Naruto's heart skipped a few beats, a strange flutter in his chest that made him light-headed.

"Me, too," he murmured.

Sasuke squeezed him from behind, nudging the back of his head with his nose, sniffing at Naruto's hair. "Go to sleep."

"I'm goin'. Just 'cause you're spoonin' me doesn't mean you get to be so bossy."

"That's exactly what it means."

"Whatever."

"Shh."

"Don't shh me!"

"Shh, Naruto," Sasuke squeezed him a final time. "Sleep."

Naruto wiggled around one more time for show, but he did close his eyes, lulled by the warmth of Sasuke's body and the sound of his breathing. He calmed, grew tired, and content in Sasuke's arms, he, rather quickly, fell asleep.


	7. Winter of Our Discontent

It was Saturday night. They were on a packed L train, coming back from a concert that Sasuke's work had given him tickets to. They were sharing two side-by-side seats, arms and legs touching. Naruto had the seat next to the window. He could smell the leather of Sasuke's jacket. It had been raining right before they'd ducked underground to catch the Red Line from Belmont. Naruto was a little tired, and riding the L always made him a bit cranky, so there was no conversation going on between them. The people around them were loud, drunk probably, but bordering on obnoxious. He felt Sasuke lean into his shoulder. Naruto looked at him and offered a tired smile and a shake of the head. Sasuke left it alone for the rest of the ride until they reached their stop at Clark/Division. They'd parked the car at Sasuke's work, in the garage. Walking the couple of blocks north, it was cold out. Naruto pushed his hands deeper into his pockets. When they were close, Sasuke snuck his hand into Naruto's pocket and grabbed for his hand. He pulled it out and held it in his, squeezing it. They continued to hold hands as the security guard let them pass through to the garage. Their footsteps echoed loudly, like there were more people around than just them. He let go of Sasuke's hand to get into the passenger seat. Sasuke started the car and turned on the heat. He shifted to face Naruto.

"Hey," he said. "You okay?"

"I'm fine."

"You don't look fine, and you haven't said a word to me since we left the concert. Are you mad about something?"

Naruto fastened his seat belt. "No, I'm really fine. Let's just drive. I wanna get home."

"Naruto..."

"Hm?" He glanced over. "Really, Sasuke. I'm just tired. I'm not mad."

Sasuke didn't look like he he believed him, but he backed out of the space, and then they were off, driving south on Michigan Avenue. White lights had been strung in the trees, and all the storefronts were decorated for Christmas, even though it was another week until Thanksgiving. Traffic wasn't too bad as they turned onto Lake Shore. He watched the skyline as it disappeared on his right. Sasuke switched on the CD player, keeping the volume low.

"Are you warm enough?" Sasuke's voice was quiet.

"Yeah. I'm good."

He was staring out the window, but he could feel Sasuke's eyes on him.

"It's not anything you did," Naruto said as if speaking to the window. "I think it's just this time of year. Gets me down."

"We could talk about it, if you wanted to."

Naruto sighed heavily. "Honestly, I'd rather not. I just wanna sit like this. Sorry m'not gonna be much company on the drive home. I thought the concert was good."

"Okay."

They drove without talking; the only sound was the soft melody of the song or the gentle tick of the turn signal when Sasuke changed lanes. He felt warm and comfortable in the car, with Sasuke beside him, and, yet, there was some moroseness growing inside, planted unpredictably during the course of the evening. Any kindness Sasuke showed him only seemed to agitate it. At some point on I-57, he removed his hand from his coat pocket and set it between them, near the gear shift. Sasuke grabbed for it without saying a word. He didn't know why he got like this sometimes. All he knew was that it became worse at this time of the year. It corresponded with the anniversary of his mother's death. She'd died during the first week of December.

At one point, as they neared he exit for their town, Sasuke picked up his hand and kissed the back of it. Closing his eyes, Naruto leaned the side of his head against the window. When he sighed, it left an eliptical smudge on the glass. He eyed it and, sitting straighter again, he wrote the letter K within the fogged up bit but scribbled it out afterward.

"Are you hungry at all?" Sasuke asked. "Want me to stop anywhere before we go home?"

"Nope. I'm good," he replied. "Thanks though."

"Naruto."

Naruto glanced at him. "Yeah?"

"You're worrying me." Sasuke wore a frown. "Would you prefer I take you to your Dad's? Would you rather not spend the night tonight?"

"I didn't say that," he said, slightly defensive. "I wanna go home with you."

"I didn't mean anything by that. I just want you to be comfortable."

"Well, you can't fix everything that's wrong, Sasuke," he mumbled, glancing out the window again. He felt the sting of guilt when Sasuke let go of his hand afterward.

They arrived at the parking lot of Sasuke's apartment complex. Sasuke left the car running a while longer, but with a sharp sigh of his own, he cut the engine and got out of the car. He slammed the door shut. Not too hard, but hard enough that Naruto knew he was upset. He pressed his hand to the glass, over the crossed out letter, and then put his palm to his cheek. Finally, he got out of the car, locking it behind him. Sasuke wasn't waiting for him, so he climbed up the stairs by himself, not moving especially fast. The door had been left open. He kicked his shoes off once inside, and hung his coat in the closet. The light for the living room was on. Ollie was lying on the middle cushion of the couch, licking at his paw. His gold-colored eyes passed over Naruto briefly before he began cleaning the other paw. Naruto glanced down the hallway. The light was on in the bedroom. He went in, and Sasuke was sitting in the desk chair, his back to Naruto. He stood for a moment in the doorway, staring at the back of Sasuke's head and simultaneously thinking of how it felt between his fingers. He wanted to go to him. He wanted Sasuke to turn around and look at him. He wanted him to punch some sense into him, or throw him on the bed and force him to spit out what was bothering him. He wanted to feel the whole world start to shake. He wanted everything to break apart. He wanted it all to go black. He wanted the rest of the world to disappear so it was just the two of them. If Sasuke... would just look back... if Sasuke would just look at him now, Naruto would know.

But Sasuke didn't look back.

Naruto went into the bathroom without speaking a word to him, and shut the door, locking it. He got into the shower, turning it up so hot that after only five minutes his skin was turning bright red, and he became a little dizzy. He grabbed onto one of the rails and lowered himself to the shower floor. He let the water pour down on him, sopping his hair and making it stick to the sides of his face. He bowed his head as he sat cross-legged with his hands on his knees. It felt like he was in there an hour before he got to his feet and turned off the water. It was so cold once he stepped out of the shower. Quickly, he grabbed for a towel and dried himself off before wrapping it around his waist. Naruto brushed his teeth in front of the fogged up mirror. When he opened the door to the bedroom, Sasuke wasn't there, and the computer was off and shut down. He could hear the television on in the living room.

Naruto got dressed. He pulled on a pair of navy sweatpants and an old grey t-shirt. Over that, he threw on one of his favorite hooded sweatshirts. He left the bedroom, his hair still dripping as he walked down the hallway toward the living room. Sasuke was on the far end of the sofa. Ollie was in the same spot. Naruto sat on the opposite end from Sasuke. He was watching a documetary on John Lennon. Naruto watched for a little while, but then he got up with the intention of making some tea.

"Do you want anything from the kitchen?" he asked. "I'm gonna make some tea."

Sasuke didn't answer.

"Sasuke," he said, slightly irritated. Sasuke looked at him, clearly unhappy.

Naruto stared at him, again feeling guilty, but he simply shook his head and went into the kitchen to put on the kettle. He picked out a mug and a tea bag and just waited in front of the stove for the water to boil. He thought Sasuke might come in, but he never did. When the kettle went off, Naruto removed it from the burner and filled the mug. He set the kettle on one of the other burners, added some sugar to his tea, and stirred it slowly, watching the water as it turned a dark brown.

He picked up the mug and blew on it. Steam was still rising from the surface. He gave it a sip and added another dash of sugar. The tea bag was thrown into the trash can under the sink. Naruto returned to the living room. Now Sasuke was watching _The Abyss_, but it was close to the end.

Sasuke looked up at him as Naruto stood next to the couch. Naruto looked back at him.

"I think I'll go to bed then," said Sasuke, and he got up, remote control in hand, and came over to Naruto, standing at his side. He offered him the remote. Naruto grabbed it. Their fingers overlapped. Sasuke didn't let go right away. He looked into Naruto's eyes and searched his face. "Good night."

He let go of the remote and Naruto's hand and headed for the bedroom.

Naruto glanced at the TV. Then he looked at Ollie, who opened his mouth wide to yawn and show off his tiny teeth. He peered up at Naruto calmly.

He turned the TV off and dropped the remote onto the coffee table. The apartment was completey dark now. With his mug still in his hand, he went down the hallway and into the bedroom. He set his tea, unfinished, onto the dresser, and removed his sweatshirt.

Naruto eyed the bed and the dark lump covered by the blankets and duvet. He went to his side of the bed, pulling back all of the coverings to slip underneath them. He lay there, staring up at the ceiling. He could tell by the sound of Sasuke's breathing that he wasn't asleep yet. The tension felt thick, but it was like neither of them was willing to break it. Ten minutes must have gone by before Sasuke rolled over, onto his side.

"I don't know," Naruto whispered, not even sure what exactly that was an answer to.

Sasuke slid over and rested his forehead on Naruto's shoulder. Naruto could feel his warm breath against his skin. Sasuke snaked an arm across his waist, pulling Naruto closer to him. His fingers moved under the hem of Naruto's t-shirt to touch skin.

Naruto let out a long sigh, and Sasuke squeezed him even tighter. He hooked his leg over Naruto's left one. Naruto managed to get his arm out from under the blankets and placed it around Sasuke's shoulders. Then his hand moved up, into Sasuke's hair, combing his fingers through it, pulling at the tips when he reached them. Sasuke shifted against him so that his head rested more on Naruto's chest, maybe listening to his heart beat.

"Tell me you love me, Naruto," Sasuke whispered, his voice uncharacteristically small and vulnerable.

Naruto wound the hair around his finger. "I love you."

"Why do you love me?"

"Because your hair's soft and it's easy to wrap around my finger."

Sasuke gave a muffled chuckle against his shirt. "I was hoping you'd say that."

"I guess I'm just predictable."

Sasuke nudged at his collarbone with his nose. "Hardly. You're anything but."

"Thank you for putting up with me." He unwound Sasuke's hair from his finger and gently stroked his head, massaging the top of his scalp with his thumb.

"I don't like when you keep things from me. I don't like not knowing what you're thinking."

Naruto bit the corner of his lip and then sucked his teeth. "I don't always know what I'm thinking."

"I know."

He tilted his head to kiss at Sasuke's temple. "Don't ever leave me," he said. "Please."

"Not even when I die?" asked Sasuke. "What if I don't have a choice?"

"Come back and haunt me then. Just give me a sign that it's you, moving my toothbrush or leaving the kitchen cabinets open."

"I'd like to think I could come up with something more meaningful."

"If you wait too long, though. I might think you've abandoned me. I'll just jump off the roof maybe."

Sasuke's hand ran across his stomach, over his shirt, moving in a small circle. "Don't do that. If I die, I want you to keep living. You could find someone else who makes you happy - "

"Shut up," Naruto covered his mouth, cutting off the rest of his sentence.

Sasuke raised himself onto his elbow, took hold of Naruto's hand and pulled it away from his mouth. He stared down at Naruto for a long time.

"What?" Naruto asked him.

"Listen," said Sasuke. He took Naruto's hand and pressed it flat to his own chest, over his heart. "Do you know what it's saying?"

Naruto felt Sasuke's heart beat steadily against his palm. He frowned. "Maybe."

"Good enough," said Sasuke and he interlaced their fingers. He brought Naruto's hand to his lips and kissed each knuckle. "Roll over."

Naruto stared into his eyes.

"Roll over," he repeated.

Naruto lifted up, Sasuke moving when he did. They stopped to look at each other, and Naruto cupped Sasuke's cheek. He took the longer piece of hair framing Sasuke's face in his fingers and slipped it behind his boyfriend's ear. Again, he held the side of Sasuke's face, leaned further in until their heads were angled, ready for a kiss. Naruto breathed against Sasuke's lips. Sasuke was waiting. Naruto thought he felt him trembling. He smiled as he removed the distance and kissed Sasuke deeply, hand finding a spot at the back of Sasuke's neck to tilt his head up more. Sasuke gripped the front of his shirt. Naruto moved back, less than an inch from Sasuke's mouth, just teasing him with a brush of his lips against Sasuke's until Sasuke let out a needy whine and, again, Naruto crushed their mouths together, almost desperately.

He let Sasuke push him down onto the bed and take control of the kiss as he ravished and plundered Naruto's mouth. Then it was Naruto letting out little whines and whimpers as Sasuke kissed his way down Naruto's throat and then up again to suck and nip at each of his lips.

Sasuke put a hand on the left side of his waist and gave him a push, whispering in his ear, "Be good and roll over."

With Sasuke pushing him still, Naruto rolled over onto his right side. Sasuke snuggled up against his back, their bodies fitting like puzzle pieces together. Sasuke clutched him closely, an arm going around the front of Naruto's chest as he placed a few more kisses to the back and side of his neck and behind his ear, even giving it one last gentle nip with his teeth.

He felt calm now. Content. Sasuke pulled the blankets up all the way over them.

"Feel better?" Sasuke asked as he burrowed his nose into Naruto's hair, sniffing him.

"Yeah," he answered. "Much."

"Good. Now go to sleep. You're safe here."

Naruto smiled. "In your arms?"

"Mm." He felt Sasuke nod against him. "Safe in my arms. I won't let you go anywhere."

"That's a good place to be."

"I know. You should consider yourself lucky."

"I do," said Naruto. "I really, really do."

He blew on Naruto's ear, and almost singing into it, "Go to sleep, Naruto."

Again, Naruto bit his lip, feeling his heart clench almost painfully. "Sasuke," he croaked.

Sasuke nuzzled him and tightened his hold. "I know."

Naruto nodded shakily. He grabbed for Sasuke's hand on his chest and brought it to his lips. He kissed each one of his fingers before placing Sasuke's hand back where it was before. Sasuke sighed, raising goosebumps along his neck.

"Good night," Naruto told him in a whisper, afraid his voice would break otherwise.

"Good night."


	8. The Guy at the Bar

It was the end of the work day, and while usually Naruto enjoyed his job because, for the most part, the customers were friendly, his co-workers were his best friends, and his Dad's house was next door - there were the occasional times when he found retail work to be incredibly frustrating. Some of the boats they sold were rather high-end, and even if a certain model wasn't on display in the warehouse due to insurance purposes, they could order it to be custom built. So, on those infrequent occasions when someone could afford to buy a custom model, that meant they were rather well off. Naruto didn't want to stereotype the rich, but there were a few clientele doing a lot better than the other 99% of the country, who seemed to think that having a great amount of money meant that they could demand respect and that anyone whose service they required would bow down to them because they had an opinion on the capital gains tax.

Naruto had spent a week working with one particular gentleman - a retired general physician - on his custom boat. For some reason, he liked Naruto, so he would only work with him, and Naruto helped him pick out everything. Everything meaning every single possible detail, down to the font of the name he had chosen to be painted on the new yacht. Now, that was his job, so it was all well and good, but the man called every other hour to change his mind, usually right after Naruto had placed the necessary orders to the companies. He never said please or thank you, but it was just the sense of entitlement that really got to him.

Finally, the work day was over, and he simply had to walk away from the office. Thank God he hadn't been overly gracious and given out his personal cell number because he was sure that he would've received calls from this man all throughout the night. Granted, Naruto had chatted with the man about his background, just sharing friendly conversation, so he was aware that he was widowed, and, from the sound of it, his two children weren't a whole lot better at social interaction than their father. He was probably lonely, but even Naruto's patience could be taxed.

So, as soon as it turned 5, he was ready to be out of there. Kiba wasn't working today since he was picking up his Mom at Midway, and they were going to spend the night in Chicago. Ino had decided not to go (she didn't get along very well with Mrs. Inuzuka), and since Sasuke wouldn't be home until after 7 tonight, they ended up going out to the Italian restaurant by Starbuck's.

The meal was good. They shared a bottle of wine. It turned out they both had a lot to complain about regarding this week. Naruto went on about the doctor, and when he stopped to breathe, Ino interjected about how nosy and condescending Kiba's Mom could be (as if Naruto didn't already know). Then there was something else that had been bothering Naruto, but, given that he hadn't even told Sasuke about it, he decided not to tell Ino. It was something that had happened a couple of days ago, but since he'd been so busy with work, he hadn't really been able to bring it up with his boyfriend. On top of the fact he was still trying to figure out how to phrase it because, well, he was pretty sure that Sasuke might make a bigger deal out of it than it was, but, honestly, there just hadn't been time to mention it. It probably accounted for his mood being especially sour this week, but it was a lot easier to focus on the rich retired doctor with no manners than the actual issue upsetting him most.

After they finished their food and their bottle of wine, they decided to go to a bar to have a few more drinks and unwind. Before they left the restaurant, Naruto texted Sasuke to let him know where they would be, and that if he wanted to, he could join them when he got into town.

As they walked into Naruto's favorite bar - The Blue Boar - there were only a few patrons. It was a smaller establishment and not very well lit. The walls were covered in dark wood paneling. There were only four booths, including a large corner one that fit seven or eight people. One of the booths was occupied by a group of boys that appeared as though they were barely at the legal age for drinking. Ino sent him a look that told him she'd prefer to sit at the bar, which was fine, because Naruto's favorite bartender was working. He went by 'Al,' but his name was actually something else that, because it was Greek, was extremely unpronounceable. He was younger, pretty quiet, and he always wore dress pants with a button-down shirt and a pair of black glasses with rectangular hipster frames.

They sat next to each other on the stools, Ino with a heavy sigh as she took her hair out of the ponytail and let it cascade down her shoulders. There was another younger man (about his own age) at the very end of the bar, but, oddly enough, he was reading a book. There was a motorcycle helmet on the counter next to him, which piqued Naruto's interest for a moment before Al came by to ask for their orders. Ino ordered a craft beer, and Naruto, thinking he wanted something strong, asked for a Manhattan.

"Oh well then," remarked Ino. "Is that old guy really so bad?"

"This week's just been crap," said Naruto, playing with the napkin that had been set down by Al.

"Is Sasuke coming?"

Naruto twirled the napkin in a circle, answering absently. "Dunno. I texted him before we left the restaurant, but I haven't heard from him yet. He might be too tired. Work's been stressful for him, too."

Al brought by their drinks and then went to tend to the other guy at the end of the bar before preoccupying himself with cleaning glasses as he watched a muted TV set to ESPN.

Naruto took a sip of his drink. There was a lot of gin in it. "Have you heard from Kiba?"

"Yeah. They've already left the airport and were checking into the hotel, I think. Then they were going out to dinner somewhere or seeing a show. I'm not sure. I wasn't paying attention. You know, Kiba. He'll do what he wants to."

Naruto snickered. "Are you sure you're not sad you didn't go? Think of all that quality time you're missing out on with Mama Inuzuka."

Ino snorted. "You know, she's not that bad, but I can only take her in small doses."

"You realize if you two get married, that might sorta be a problem?"

"Please. Who gets along with their in-laws anyway? I'll just have to make sure that she never moves in with us. We'd end up killing each other."

"Well, that wouldn't make anyone happy," said Naruto.

"What about you and Sasuke?" asked Ino, playing with the ends of her hair, curling it around a finger.

Naruto set his drink down. "What about me and Sasuke? I'm thinking we won't have much of an issue with in-laws since I'm the only one with a living parent."

"Sorry, no, that's not what I meant." Ino turned on the stool and gently kicked him. "I was just wondering since you two have been together for a while if you'd... thought about what you wanted in the future?"

"What, like, marriage?"

"No, I dunno," she replied. "It doesn't have to be that. Just, Sasuke always talks about traveling, and I know he used to move around a lot, so I just figured... maybe one day he'd want to move again."

"Hm."

"I was just curious, Naruto. It's not any of my business."

"No, it's not that," he said, turning more toward her and setting his elbow on the edge of the bar, "I just... don't know. We've talked about stuff a few times. If things had gone bad with Itachi, I think maybe Sasuke would've gone back to Seattle. We've been together, what, nine months... so."

"What if he wanted to move again, though? Like, what if he got offered this great job opportunity. Do you think you'd move with him?"

Naruto took in a deep breath through his nose and fingered the rim of his glass. "Yeah... I probably would."

Ino's smile was as wide as her eyes, and Naruto sensed an impending squeal coming on, which she did go ahead and do until Naruto shushed her. It was always so embarrassing and weird when she did that. Besides, he was happy with the way things were as of right now, and Sasuke, though Naruto was aware he didn't want to stay here forever, didn't ever push the subject or act antsy about being here. Granted, it probably would've been easier on him if he moved to Chicago so that he could cut the commute out of his day. But, even if Naruto had brought the issue up once or twice, Sasuke always assured him that he'd had worse commutes, and he understood Naruto's job and friends were in town. Plus, Sasuke'd been able to save a lot of money since he wasn't living in downtown Chicago. Although, to be honest, they didn't talk a whole lot about finances or anything. Not because it was a sensitive issue it was just... not something they talked about. Naruto did alright, and since he'd gotten rid of his apartment a few months ago, he'd been saving a lot more. Neither of them were extravagant spenders, although Sasuke was still a clothes horse. He could afford to be one, however, since he'd been promoted last month and received a significant raise. Except, it also meant he was getting home later than usual these days. Naruto, on the other hand, had been thinking about getting a motorcycle, but as a kid, his Mom had never liked the idea of him riding one, so there were some guilt issues he'd have to sort through first.

Well, whatever. He had to get up to use the bathroom, but as he did, his phone went off, so he stopped to read it. Sasuke was texting to say he'd stopped to get gas and would meet them in 20 minutes or so. He sent a brief reply, smiling at his phone, and as he stuck it in his back pocket, he happened to pass by the guy with the motorcycle helmet. He paused by the man's side and, tapping him lightly near his shoulder, decided to ask what type of motorcycle he owned.

The man - his grey-bluish hair knotted up on his head - slowly glanced up from his book, eyed him suspiciously, and flatly asked, "You know about bikes?"

"Yeah, a bit. I've been thinkin' about buyin' somethin' more sporty though. I don't mean to be nosy, but I saw the helmet and just wanted to know what you ride. I didn't see a bike out in the parking lot."

"I parked it in the alley." He closed his book and put it to the side. "What are you thinking of buying?"

Naruto shrugged. "If I could afford it, I'd get that Shiver 750 from last year."

"You have expensive taste," the man remarked. "It's a fine starter bike if you've never had one before. It's a little heavy, though."

"Well, I know I could never afford the 1000cc, so I thought I'd shoot for somethin' more manageable, although I guess it's better for longer rides. I have to admit, I dunno if that'd happen, but a guy can dream, can't he?"

"That he can," the man said. "It's ironic you have an interest in an Aprilia."

"Why's that? Please dear God don't tell me you have one. I'm not ashamed to beg you for a ride around the block."

The man actually smiled at him, turning more toward Naruto. "No, I don't have an Aprilia..."

"No?"

"...It's a Ducati."

"No way. Holy shit, okay. I really can be cool, but you've blown my mind. What color is it?"

He raised an eyebrow. "That's what you care about? It's red."

Naruto groaned and sat on the stool so that he could thunk his head against the bar. "What kind of Ducati?"

"It's a Monster, but it's the bottom of the ladder."

"A 696? What's the horsepower?"

"Eighty, but I think you'd like it since you want something... sporty." He tilted his head a little, regarding Naruto more closely as he picked his head up from the bar. "It's great on bumpy roads, and when there's heavy traffic, it's light and nimble enough for me to zip right through it."

Naruto shook his head. "I could never afford it. Isn't it, like, nine grand or thereabouts?"

"Something like that. Do you mind if I ask your name?"

"Naruto," he answered.

The other man didn't give his name in return; he simply gave a short nod of his head.

"Well, Naruto. I'll give you a ride if you want to... when you're done having drinks with your girlfriend."

"Huh?"

"The pretty blond woman you're with. That's your girlfriend, isn't it? She keeps looking this way, too. You might wanna get back to her."

Naruto glanced over his shoulder. Ino was definitely giving him the eye, and not in a good way.

"Shit, I forgot. I was on my way to take a - " He stopped before he finished his sentence, and said, "I was gonna head to the bathroom, but I guess I couldn't help myself. Oh, and she's not my girlfriend. She's my best friend's girlfriend."

"Oh, really. So you're that type," he teased Naruto.

Naruto laughed, slapping his hand on the counter. "No. That's not what I meant. She's just a friend. Her boyfriend, Kiba, who's also my best friend is out of town, and we all work together, so... it was kind of a shit day, and we thought we'd get some drinks."

The other man observed him for another moment.

Off-handedly, Naruto noted that the guy was pretty good looking, so he wondered if he'd been checking Ino out.

"Sorry to disappoint you that she's not single," he said.

"No need to be sorry," he told Naruto. "I'm not interested in her."

"Oh, okay." He fidgeted awkwardly. "Well, I'll leave you to your book." Naruto got up from the stool, and after only taking a couple of steps, the other man caught his wrist, forcing him to turn around.

"I hope you won't be offended if I ask you this, but...," he searched Naruto's face, and his eyes were the most fascinating shade of grey. They were like a dark silver when the light hit them just right. "I'm only in town for the night. Do you... have any plans after you're done getting a drink with your best friend's girlfriend?"

Naruto's eyes widened. "You mean like a date?"

"I guess maybe I do. Yeah. Or if you don't swing that way, just to hang out. No commitment. I think you're interesting is all."

Naruto's smile started to falter, and he spoke quietly. "Um. I dunno how to explain this without it soundin' like a really weird lie, but... I don't swing that way. However, uh..."

"That's fine. I didn't think you did, but I thought I'd ask. Maybe just a drink then?"

"Well the thing is... I am seeing someone."

"It's only a drink, Naruto. I doubt she'd be jealous of you having a drink with another man."

"Heh. Okay, this is where the complicated bit comes in. I don't wanna lie to you, but, uh, I'm seeing a guy. I have a boyfriend."

The man let go of his wrist. "If you weren't interested in a drink, all you had to do was say so."

"No, it's not that." He glanced at Ino, who caught his stricken expression, and for one reason or another decided to come over.

"Who's your friend, Naruto?" she asked, sliding into the stool next to the stranger.

"He's no friend," said the man. "But he was just mentioning his imaginary boyfriend."

"Imaginary?" Ino gave him a quizzical look. "You mean Sasuke? Oh, he's not imaginary. But, I'm confused. Do you know Sasuke?"

Naruto sighed. "No, he doesn't. I was just tryin' to explain..."

The man suddenly gazed at Naruto. "I see. You weren't lying, were you?"

"I tried to tell you. I know it's complicated. I'm straight. I have a boyfriend. It's weird, I know, but that's the best I can do, and... I guess. I don't think he'd appreciate if I had drinks with another guy..."

"Why not?" Ino asked, oblivious. "It's just a drink."

"Ino," said Naruto, frowning.

"What? He can come drink with us? Why not?"

The man put a hand on Naruto's arm and smiled at him. "It's okay. Maybe another time."

Naruto sighed and rubbed the back of his neck. "No, she's right. It's not a big deal. And Sasuke'll be here in a little bit, so yeah, if it's just drinks, and Ino is here... yeah, come drink with us. I wanna hear more about your Ducati." He smiled broadly. "But if you don't mind, I'm gonna finally hit the toilet."

He walked away, feeling the other man's hand let go of his arm. Naruto hadn't ever been in this situation before, so it had him flustered. It was especially odd because had the circumstances been different, he might not of thought anything about it, but knowing that Sasuke was coming, he wasn't exactly sure how he would take it if Naruto was to have a drink with a guy right after he'd basically asked him out.

Naruto entered the restroom. There was only one stall and one urinal. He relieved himself, washed his hands, and when he came out, Ino was carrying on a conversation with their new friend. He'd left his motorcycle helmet at the end of the counter, so, on his way over, Naruto picked it up and brought it to him, sitting beside him so that the young man was in between himself and Ino.

Ino was leaning over the counter. "Hey, Naruto. Did he tell you he's an actor? Isn't that cool?"

"Oh, no. You didn't tell me that."

The man turned toward Naruto, incidentally making their arms brush. "I've obviously not been in anything you would've seen, but, yes, I act sometimes. Mostly though, I think of myself as a writer."

"Cool, what sorta stuff do you write?" Naruto asked.

"Nothing worth mentioning, but I am writing a freelance piece for a travel magazine."

Naruto nodded. "What sorta piece?"

The man shrugged; a gesture of modesty. "A sort of Jack Kerouac piece. On the road. Off the beaten path. A man and his motorcycle. Isolated travel during times of rampant modern technological socialization."

"Heh. So, like, what's out there for us to experience if we weren't all glued to Facebook and Twitter?"

"Something like that, yes. It's a bit prosaic, but it pays the bills."

"Sounds interesting," Ino added. "When will it be published?"

"I could only make an estimate," the stranger said, "My journey isn't over until I get to New York. Then I'll have to write it, edit it, put together the supporting art. Maybe in a month or so."

"Hm. We'll have to get you to send us a signed copy," said Ino. "Right, Naruto?"

"Yeah. It sounds really cool. I'm just impressed that you're our age and doin' something like this. Too bad you're only here for a night."

The man leaned in, knocking their shoulders. "Would you prefer I stayed longer?"

Nervously, Naruto bit his lip. "Um..."

The stranger laughed. "I'm kidding, Naruto," he said in a low whisper. "Tell me, though. Are you very happy with this Sasuke?"

Naruto narrowed his eyes. "Yeah... yeah I am. Why?"

He smirked. "Because, if you thought you were going to break up with him in the next, say, couple of months, I'd have to stop by on my way back home."

"Right... well... that's. Probably not a good idea."

"No, maybe not for you. Just my luck," he spoke softly, looking intensely at Naruto with those silvery eyes of his, "After all this time on the road, I meet a guy who's friendly enough to stop and ask a stranger about his bike... and he's obviously capable of being with guys. But he's taken. Very tragic, I'd say."

"I'm sure there'll be someone equally as friendly the next place you go to..."

"Maybe so, but he might not be as attractive as you... Naruto." Then the man's eyes darted away from him toward the door. Naruto glanced over his shoulder, too, and saw Sasuke just as he was coming through the door. Sasuke's eyes seemed to dwell on the extra person in their party, but he came right to them, nonetheless.

Ino was the first to get up. She hugged him.

"Hey, Sasuke! We met a friend, but he hasn't given us his name yet. He's an actor and a writer, and he offered to give Naruto a ride on his motorcycle."

Sasuke's eyes swept to the stranger and then to Naruto, where his gaze lingered. "Did he. Naruto's been talking about getting a motorcycle for a while now."

"That's what he was telling me," said the man. "He seems to have excellent taste... in his bikes."

"I'm sure he could manage the price tag if I let him live on only instant cup ramen like he'd prefer."

The man chuckled, sparing a glance at Naruto. Naruto, meanwhile, felt uncomfortable enough to have gone slightly quiet. He was busy trying to read Sasuke and deciding whether all the tension he suddenly felt was real or imaginary.

"He's still a growing boy," said the man, "So I suppose it's best if you remind him to eat his vegetables and have three square meals a day."

"I do my best," replied Sasuke. "But he has a mind of his own."

"And is that one of his good qualities?" The man asked Sasuke.

"It's one of many," Sasuke answered purposefully. "How long are you in town for if you don't mind me asking."

"Only a night."

"What a shame," said Sasuke.

The other man laughed, not offended in the least. Naruto cleared his throat.

"So where do you go after this?" Naruto asked, wanting to change the subject.

"Indianapolis," he replied, "Then Bloomington."

"I've been there once," said Naruto. "For a concert when I was in college. It was near the campus, I think. It was just a dive bar, and the weather was awful. I think there was even a tornado warning. I went with Kiba, who's the guy I mentioned to you before."

"My boyfriend," Ino cut in. "I wonder where I was that I didn't go with you two? God, that was forever ago, back when you were dating - " She stopped talking, glanced at Naruto and then the other two pairs of eyes looking at her intently. "Um. Yeah, that was a long time ago."

"Let me guess," said their new friend, "It's complicated?"

"Yeah," Naruto breathed, but then he smiled. He glanced at Sasuke, who didn't look nearly as amused and, in fact, he excused himself to use the restroom.

"You better go after him," said Ino, but Naruto was already up and chasing after him anyway. Sasuke made it to the bathroom first, but Naruto slipped in right after.

"Sasuke," he said.

Sasuke went to stand in front of the urinal, unzipping his pants, and proceeded to do what he came in to do.

Naruto rolled his eyes. "You're not mad, are you?"

"I'm peeing. I shouldn't have had a cup of coffee on the drive home."

"No, you're mad. I can tell."

"Naruto, he was obviously interested in you."

"Wait. What? How could you tell?"

Sasuke gave him a look. "Because I'm gay?"

"Ah, well. I don't know what sorta answer that is, but it's not like I thought that. I just saw his motorcycle helmet and asked him what sorta bike he had, and we were just makin' conversation."

"I'm sure. Did he ask you to show him around? Or did he ask for something in return if he let you ride him. Oh, I mean with him."

"God, you are so not cute right now," Naruto said.

Sasuke zipped himself up and went to wash his hands. "Right. Because after a long day at work, I always like to envision coming to meet my boyfriend, who's being picked up by a good looking stranger with a motorcycle."

"Sasuke. C'mon. Nothing happened, and I told him I was with you."

"Do you think you being with someone would've stopped me from going after you?" Sasuke snapped, looking a little angry.

"What the hell? Okay. One... I don't cheat on the person I'm with, so it just wouldn't happen, and two, um, do you think I would've even told him yes? Jesus, Sasuke. I am not interested in other men, and I'm not interested in bein' with anyone but you. How many times have I said that?"

"You say that, but that guy isn't so different from me, so maybe given the right circumstances, you would've fallen for him and not me."

Naruto was dumbfounded. "Is that really what you think?"

Sasuke sighed, glanced askance from him and ran his hand through his hair. "Listen... it's been a shitty week."

"Hey, it's been a shitty week for me, too."

Sasuke's arm dropped to his side and he glared. "I didn't say it wasn't."

"Why are you gettin' so angry at me? Nothing happened. The guy hit on me. I shot him down. Ino invited him to drink with us 'til you got here. There is nothing for you in all that to get angry about. Don't act like no guys ever hit on you."

"I wouldn't give them the time of day."

"Yeah, but that still wouldn't stop some of them. In fact, they probably like that quality of yours, where you act like you're above everyone." Oh, shit. That one slipped out.

"Really." Sasuke stepped toward him until Naruto was forced backward, against a wall. Sasuke put his hand flat to the tiles, right next to Naruto's head. "Is that what you think about me?"

"Sasuke." He sighed. "Just hit me."

"Why would I hit you?"

"Because you're pissed with me, and I honestly don't get why other than a guy came on to me. I..." He sighed again. "Please don't be mad, and no, I don't think you think you're better than everyone, but I do think you are better than everyone, and I mean it in a good way." Naruto grabbed for Sasuke's jacket. It was unzipped. He held onto the bottom of it. "What are you angry about? Just... tell me."

Sasuke leaned in more, his face softening, but his expression was still pretty severe. "I don't like the idea of having to worry about men hitting on you, too. I already worry about you... losing interest because I'm a man and no matter what you say, I know you prefer women."

"Sasuke, I - "

"Shut up and let me finish," said Sasuke. "I'm tired. I miss you. My job is stressful. I just wanted to come home. I wanted to see you. And," he touched Naruto's cheek, but then he let his hand fall away and suddenly he was resting his head on Naruto's shoulder.

Immediately, Naruto wrapped his arms around his boyfriend and held him.

"Alright," he said quietly. "Let's go home. I don't wanna be here anymore either."

"No. I don't want to be this type of guy. I don't want to be jealous. I don't doubt you, I really don't, but that I can't stop other people from thinking they can have you..."

Naruto hugged him even tighter. "You say that, but I worry about the same stuff, Sasuke."

"I love you. I would never leave you. I don't want anyone else but you," Sasuke spoke, his voice partially muffled as he buried his face into Naruto's neck.

"And I feel the same, so don't be a dick every time someone hits on me. Just tell yourself it means your boyfriend is a hot piece of ass that is wanted by both genders and maybe anything in between."

Sasuke chuckled. "There was that woman in that club in Seattle."

"Yeah, see. I appeal to even the transgendered folk. He was hot as a woman."

"She, Naruto. He was a she. That's what transgendered is."

"Okay, well she was hot, but I don't know what that means for me as a heterosexual male."

"I think you already defy all sexual standards. I wouldn't worry about it."

Naruto put a hand on his chest, pushing him away gently. "No. It's not really like that. It's not complicated. I like women, but I love you. Even though you can be an insecure douche at times. I guess in your own way, I find that a little bit endearing. At least I know that you're not gettin' bored of me."

"Never," he said and brushed his lips against Naruto's.

Naruto took his boyfriend's face in his hands and kissed him. Sasuke pressed him back into the wall, his hands moving down over Naruto's chest and stomach and then around his waist. He wedged his knee between Naruto's legs.

Naruto moaned into the kiss unexpectedly, which prompted an interesting noise from Sasuke that sounded like a growl as he rubbed his leg against him.

"C'mon," said Naruto as Sasuke nipped at his lips, "Let's go home."

"Or we could do it right here. Hasn't that been a fantasy of yours since that one night?"

"Ha. Yeah, but no. I'm not doin' it with Ino twenty feet away and - "

"No, and your friend might walk in on us since there isn't a lock on the door. There's no way in hell I'd let him see you like that."

Naruto shoved him off. "Hey, stop bein' such a possessive boyfriend. You don't own me." He was teasing, smiling as he leaned against the door, his hand on the knob.

Sasuke came after him, pinning him against the door, with both hands on either side of his head. "The fuck I don't." He kissed Naruto roughly, both of them biting and touching, hands going everywhere. Naruto had his on Sasuke's ass, cupping his butt and rocking against him.

Sasuke nipped at his ear. "Are you sure you don't want me to fuck you in the stall? Or we could do it right here. Against the door." He blew into Naruto's ear. "Hm?"

Naruto groaned. "Yeah, no. Okay, we're goin'."

He grabbed Sasuke's hand, threw open the door, and noticed that Ino was sitting alone at the bar. The other man nowhere in sight.

"He left," Ino told them. "Said to say goodbye." Then she looked at them suspiciously. "Gross. Did you just do it in the bathroom?"

"No," Sasuke answered for them. "He wouldn't let me. He didn't want you to hear."

"Hmm." Ino grinned. "I'm not sure whether I'm disappointed or not. Fine, I see our little date's over. You two go on home."

"You sure?" Naruto asked, putting a hand on her shoulder.

"Judging by the way Sasuke's looking at me now, I think I'll go with yes."

"Sasuke's just horny. Ignore him." He fished out his wallet and paid both of their tabs. Naruto kissed Ino on the cheek, and Sasuke kissed the other side at the same time.

She smiled at the both of them brightly. "Why are you two so sexy?"

"Born that way," Naruto answered. "See ya." He waved and then, putting his hand on Sasuke's back, ushered him quickly out of the bar.


	9. The Accident

It was early evening on a Saturday, and Sasuke was cleaning around the apartment. The temperature had dropped, and according to the weatherman at the local station, the forecast called for sleet. Naruto had been out most of the afternoon, running errands and, likely, getting into trouble with Kiba. Ollie was circling the kitchen island, watching Sasuke as he pulled out dishes from the dishwasher and placed them in the cabinets. Once he was finished in the kitchen, Sasuke vacuumed the living room, which sent the cat scurrying for the bedroom and into the closet. After he was done vacuuming, Sasuke folded some laundry and, just as he'd discovered a pair of Naruto's boxers mixed up with his stuff, his cell phone started to vibrate. He picked it up, figuring it was Naruto, except it was Kiba's number showing. Maybe Naruto had left his phone somewhere and was calling with Kiba's phone; it wouldn't be the first time.

"Hello?" He answered.

"...Sasuke? It's Kiba."

"What's up?" He asked cautiously. There was something off about Kiba's tone, and it set him on edge.

"Um. I don't want you to panic or anything, but I'm on my way to your apartment to pick you up."

"Kiba. What's going on?"

"Naruto's been in an accident - "

Sasuke's knees seemed to give out as he took a seat on the bed.

" - And, I don't know much. He was with me earlier today at his Dad's, and then he said he was gonna head to your guys' apartment. I was still at his Dad's when Minato got a call from a policeman who was at the scene. The ambulance's already taken him to the hospital. Minato's on his way there, and I thought I'd come and get you. I'm a few minutes away... Hey Sasuke, are you still there?"

Sasuke hunched over, a single finger tracing back and forth anxiously across his bottom lip. "Yeah..." He cleared his throat. "Yeah, I'm still here. H-how is he, do you know? What happened?"

"Not sure. I think the road was slick and someone wasn't able to stop at the light, so they T-boned him on the driver's side. Minato ran out the door as he was explainin' to me and told me to go get you. Okay, I'm about to your apartment now, so I'll have the car right by the stairs."

"I'm on my way out," said Sasuke, ending the call.

He got up fast, grabbing only his wallet and keys from the dresser. He slipped on a pair of shoes and snagged his jacket from off the coat rack by the front door. It slammed on his way out. He put his coat on as he hurriedly made his way down the stairs. He could see Kiba's car at the bottom of the steps. The night was gray and dreary, a drizzle of rain falling. Sasuke got in the car.

"Hey," greeted Kiba. He looked nervous. "It'll be alright. I'm sure he's fine. You know Naruto. Nothin' can touch that guy."

Sasuke strapped on his seat belt. He'd barely heard him. There were about a million things running through his head, and the chaos driving those thoughts was compounded by the urgency he felt at needing to see Naruto. If it had been a minor accident, Naruto would've called him. So, that he'd had to receive a call from Kiba made him consider nothing but worst case scenarios. As they drove out of the parking lot, the sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach only grew. Any stop they had to make at a sign or light incensed and frustrated him. While he quietly endured it, Kiba shouted and cursed at the traffic. Below the dread and anxiousness, there was a tiny bubble of guilt. Naruto'd been on his way to their apartment. Coming to see him. Had he been rushing?

What could he have done or said to prevent it from happening?

Again, his stomach clenched, and he put his fist to his lips to try and keep the bile from rising.

"It'll be okay, right?" Kiba asked again as the hospital came into view.

Sasuke regarded him briefly but didn't have an answer to give. Kiba was pale, his grip on the steering wheel so tight that his knuckles had turned red and splotchy. It felt like he should try to comfort Kiba, but he couldn't think of anything to say. As soon as they parked near the entrance to the emergency room, the both of them instantly raced out of the car, running past a parked ambulance and in through the automatic sliding doors. Breathless, Kiba shouted at the receptionist in broken gasps while Sasuke clarified in a much calmer voice (than he actually felt) who they were looking for.

"Naruto Uzumaki," he said, while the fingers of the woman behind the computer clicked across the keyboard.

"Are you his family?" she asked, reading something on the screen before she raised her eyes to meet his.

"No...," he answered slowly. "His father should be here already."

"Well, he's in with the doctor right now, so you'll have to wait until Mr. Uzumaki's father comes to get you."

"_What_?" asked Kiba, who was leaning over the counter trying to get behind it to see the screen. "_I_ might as well be his brother and this guy here is his boyfriend. Are you sayin' we can't go see him?"

Kiba's voice was loud and carried over to the waiting room, causing a few people to look their way. The woman glanced at Sasuke, gave him a sympathetic look, but said: "I'm really sorry. It's the hospital's policy not to allow anyone but family or an emergency contact, and it appears Naruto's emergency contact is Minato Namikaze."

"Yeah," said Kiba. "That's his Dad. Shit, well can you let him know we're here? Minato'll come out right away."

"Of course. I'll have a nurse page him. Until then, if you just want to take a seat in the waiting room."

Sasuke put his arm on the counter. "Can you at least tell us what sort of condition he's in?" He looked her in the eye, and then added, "Please."

She nodded, her fingers again clicking across the keyboard. "I can tell you that surgery wasn't required, but beyond that, it's not in the computer yet."

Kiba only grew more agitated, but Sasuke grabbed him by the arm.

"Thank you very much," Sasuke said, and dragging Kiba away, found them a couple of seats.

"That is so fuckin' irritating," Kiba complained. "At least _you_ should be able to go back there if I can't. That's retarded."

"I'm sure if it was serious, Minato would've left a message or been out here waiting for us."

"He should be out here even if it's not serious!"

"Keep your voice down," Sasuke scolded. In the meantime, he kept eyeing the doors, expecting Naruto to walk out at any second to reassure him that he just had a few scratches.

"Sorry," said Kiba. "It's just..." He sighed. "Sorry. I'm sure you know how this feels, but it's so... Fuck."

Sasuke gave the other man a sidelong look. Kiba had his elbows on his knees, his hands clasped together, and a deep wrinkle in his brow. Sasuke leaned back in his own chair and lifted his gaze to the fluorescent lights above their heads.

"So now what?" Kiba asked.

Still staring up at the lights, Sasuke replied in a gruff voice, "We wait."

* * *

They waited 15 _long_ minutes before Minato walked through the doors, spotted them, and came over to where they sat. Sasuke got to his feet first, and then so did Kiba. Minato looked anxious still, but he smiled at them reassuringly. He put one hand on Sasuke's shoulder and the other on Kiba's.

"He's doing fine. He's asking to see you both, but the doctor's putting his arm in a sling, and they have to do a few stitches. He's got a concussion, and he's a bit sore. He's worked up about the lady who hit him. I guess she didn't fair as well and is in surgery. Give it maybe 15 minutes, and I should be able to get you both in there to see him."

"Figures he'd be worried about the person who hit _him_," muttered Kiba.

Minato ruffled Kiba's hair, and then he looked at Sasuke, expression serious.

"Sasuke," he said. "Naruto wants me to specifically tell you that he is _okay_. He was upset he couldn't call you directly. So, let's all just sit here until they're done. Assuming Naruto won't barge out on them beforehand. Do you want anything from the vending machine? Some chips or some soda while we wait?"

"No way. I still feel like I'm gonna throw up," said Kiba.

Sasuke had to agree. Plus, being in hospitals always made him incredibly uncomfortable.

"Well, I'm gonna go get a cup of coffee," announced Minato. "That boy's gonna be the death of me." He headed toward the vending machines at the other end of the room and through one of the doors.

Sasuke and Kiba shared a glance. Kiba attempted a smile.

"At least he's okay. Sounds like he's pretty banged up, huh? Still gonna love him if he's ugly now?"

Sasuke didn't have the heart to find that funny even though he knew Kiba was simply trying to lighten the mood. He couldn't relax until he got to see and talk to Naruto in person. In fact, he was finding it incredibly difficult standing here in the waiting room when all he wanted to do was rush through the doors and find him. He knew that it could've been much, much worse. Eventually, the both of them sat back down in their chairs, Minato joining them soon afterward. It was calming to have him around as he sat on Sasuke's other side.

"You know, there's nothing worse than when something happens to your child and feeling like you have no control over it. When the police called and said there'd been an accident," he paused, lowered his head, and gripped his coffee with both hands, "I think I moved on instinct. I'm glad that Kiba went to get you. I really wasn't thinking about anything else as I ran out the door. Naruto was insisting I call you as soon as I saw him. It was the first thing out of his mouth - "

Sasuke bowed his head, tilting it away from Minato so that his hair fell over his eyes and hid most of his expression.

" - But, even though I saw that he was mostly okay, just to see him with a few bruises and scratches..." Minato stopped speaking and hummed thoughtfully. "He knew you'd be worried and upset, so we'll go see him soon."

"That idiot shouldn't be worried about me," Sasuke mumbled.

"I think given the circumstances, he couldn't help it."

Sasuke glanced over at the older man, knowing he was referring to his parents' accident. It wasn't as if the parallel hadn't entered his mind. However, it would figure that Naruto would worry more about him than his own injuries. Maybe he was a bit emotional at the moment, but Sasuke was starting to feel annoyed at his boyfriend for being so selfless. It meant that sometimes Naruto cared more about other people than himself. That didn't bode well with Sasuke because, for him, Naruto was the priority in his life. It had nothing to do with Naruto being insecure - it was just his instinct to put others before himself. Maybe it was part of the reason Sasuke liked when he could spoil Naruto a bit, be attentive, make Naruto understand how much he meant to him. How much he loved him.

Finally, the doctor emerged from the emergency room, briefly consulted a nurse at the reception area, and then walked directly to them. He nodded at Minato, at Sasuke, and at Kiba. He was an older man with long, bushy salt and pepper hair that was pulled into a ponytail.

"We've finished with the sutures. He has two broken fingers on his left hand and a wrist sprain. The swelling on his eye should go down in a day or two. He can come in after about a week to have the stitches removed. The concussion isn't too serious, but it'll be good if he's monitored over the course of the evening. I don't think it'll be necessary to keep him overnight; however, if he complains of any light-headedness, memory loss, or severe nausea, then call or bring him into the emergency room right away. I've called in a prescription for some pain medication."

"So, can we see him now?" Kiba asked.

The doctor nodded. "Yes. You can see him now. He's getting dressed and should be discharged shortly."

Sasuke felt a huge relief. Minato thanked the doctor, and the three of them followed him through the winding hallways until they reached Naruto's room. The door was partially open. The doctor knocked, and they all heard Naruto reply with a "Come in."

Just as the door opened, they saw that one of the female nurses was helping Naruto button his shirt. Sasuke'd caught a glimpse of a large bruise on Naruto's left side. It was roughly the size of a shoe print, and as he turned around to greet them, Sasuke's lips parted a little as he took in Naruto's condition. It looked like someone beat the shit out of him.

"Oh Jesus," said Kiba, "You look awful."

"Thanks a lot, jerk," said Naruto, although he did appear self-conscious.

The nurse helping him simply smiled and excused herself. Naruto told her thanks as she squeezed his uninjured wrist. She also smiled sweetly at Sasuke as she passed him by on her way out. Naruto sat on the edge of his hospital bed. There were machines nearby, beeping and blinking. The TV in the corner of the room was on but the volume muted. Naruto was staring at him, uncertain and nervous maybe. Sasuke wished there weren't so many people in the room, but he also couldn't seem to get his feet to move either. There was a gash above Naruto's left eye. That same eye was also a blackish-purple and swollen enough that it was shut halfway. Two of his fingers were wrapped, and his arm was in a sling; his wrist was bandaged. Those were just the injuries Sasuke could see.

The doctor was the one to break the silence. "Well, Naruto. Do you feel like you're ready to go home?"

"I was ready to go an hour ago." He shifted on the bed, and Sasuke observed the way he winced. "How's Mrs. Walker doing, do y'know? Is she out of surgery?"

"She's in recovery, but everything went fine."

Kiba went to Naruto and sat by his side on the bed. Again, Naruto gazed at Sasuke. He couldn't explain why, but seeing Naruto bandaged and bruised was... difficult. It seemed safest to keep quiet and stand there, or else...

"Well, your paperwork is at the desk, so whenever you're ready to go, you can. I'll expect to see you next week to get those stitches out. You might want to have someone stay with you tonight, just to make sure the concussion hasn't caused any serious damage."

"D'ya hear that? You could be even more brain damaged than before," said Kiba. He bumped - very lightly - against Naruto's shoulder. Naruto chuckled.

Sasuke felt bad that Kiba, even if it was obvious he was faking it, could pretend like nothing had happened. Sasuke should've been the one trying to make Naruto feel better.

"I'll be staying with Sasuke tonight at the apartment," Naruto said, glancing right at him, his eyebrow raised. "If that's okay."

"Of course it's okay," Sasuke replied in a low, almost hoarse tone. Naruto nodded, continuing to watch him.

"Well, I'll get out of your hair. Naruto, take care of yourself. I have a feeling that the nurses around here are going to miss you." The doctor laughed when Naruto protested profusely and looked embarrassed. The older man excused himself from the room, and Minato followed after him to ask a few questions.

There was an awkward moment when Kiba kept glancing between the both of them since no one was speaking. He fidgeted uncomfortably and then said, "Uh, I'll go with your Dad for a sec."

"Alright," said Naruto. "Do you mind gettin' me a bottle of water while you're out there, too?"

"Sure thing." Kiba stood and left the room, closing the door behind him, giving them some privacy.

Naruto, favoring his left side, got up from the bed and walked over. He didn't have his shoes on, only socks, which left him at least an inch or two shorter than Sasuke. The corner of Naruto's mouth seemed to quiver, and as he came even closer, Sasuke could see he had a cut on his bottom lip.

"See, I'm alive," said Naruto in a near-whisper.

Almost immediately, Sasuke wrapped his arms around him, as gently as he possibly could. He rested his forehead on Naruto's shoulder, turning his head so that his nose grazed Naruto's neck. He breathed in his scent. Naruto was warm. He put an arm around Sasuke's waist.

"Sorry that I worried you," he told Sasuke.

He shut his eyes at Naruto's words and placed a kiss at the dip above his collarbone, then another at the base of Naruto's neck.

"I wanted to call, but my goddam phone got smashed up in the accident and - "

"Shut up." Sasuke held him more tightly. He held on for as long as it took to make his brain process that Naruto was alright, that everything would be okay. "We'll talk about it at home. I don't want to talk about it yet."

"Okay," Naruto replied softly, and with his right hand, he took hold of Sasuke's chin, turned his face to the side, and gave him a lingering kiss to his cheek. "You're cold."

"You're warm."

Naruto offered a lop-sided smile. "Can you still love a guy who looks like this?"

Barely, the corner of Sasuke's mouth curled, too. It took a fair amount of effort, though.

"I'm not sure if I should take that as a yes," said Naruto. "Is it really that bad?"

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "You know it could've been a lot worse."

"But it wasn't," Naruto replied calmly. "Just a sprain and a few bruises and scratches. It's nothin' compared to the lady who hit me. I mean, the truck took most of the impact, so her car got _totaled_ - "

"Naruto," Sasuke cut him off, "You'd have sympathy for the devil if he had a good excuse, but I'm not nearly as forgiving. Right now, I'd rip her to pieces if I saw her, so the last thing I want to do is talk about whether she's okay or not."

Naruto frowned, but he didn't argue.

"Let's get your shoes on," said Sasuke. "Where are they?"

"In the cabinet."

Sasuke found the dirty pair of sneakers and brought them to Naruto. He helped him get them on. Naruto balanced with his hand on Sasuke's shoulder. Sasuke draped Naruto's coat over his shoulders and then, pressing up against him from the front, nudged Naruto backward until he was forced to sit on the edge of the bed.

"Sasuke...?"

Sasuke shook his head, bracing himself by putting his hands on either side of Naruto, who remained quiet. Intently, he watched Sasuke.

After a little longer, he breathed in deeply. "Alright," he told Naruto and gently helped him up again. "Let's go."

* * *

Once Naruto was discharged, Minato drove the two of them back to the apartment. Kiba had gone to the nearby Walgreen's to pick up the prescription and the mint chocolate chip ice cream Naruto had pined for. Naruto was sitting up front with his Dad. Occasionally, he'd glance at the rearview mirror to sneak a peek at Sasuke until he finally had to tell Naruto to cut it out.

"I can't help it," said Naruto. "You look like you're gonna pass out."

Sasuke tried not to be offended. "What do you know? You're the one who's probably suffered brain damage."

"Rude. Is that somethin' you should tell a guy who just got in a car accident?"

"Naruto, would you stop harassing your boyfriend. You probably gave Sasuke a heart attack."

"I'll make it up to him," Naruto mumbled.

"You don't have to make up anything to me," Sasuke replied. "I just won't let you out of my sight anymore."

Minato chuckled, but Naruto scoffed.

"Like I'd ever leave you behind, Sasuke."

Sasuke wasn't so sure, so he leaned against the seat and sighed, staring out the window. It wasn't long before they were at his apartment complex. He got out on the passenger's side and opened Naruto's door, but Naruto batted him out of the way.

"I'm not a cripple," he complained. Sasuke ignored him, and as Naruto got to his feet, Sasuke put an arm around his waist to make sure he didn't slip on the slick pavement. Minato followed behind them as they (carefully) went up the stairs together. Sasuke had his keys in his coat pocket, so they didn't have to wait very long out in the cold. When they were inside the apartment, Ollie cautiously approached them. He seemed especially interested in Minato. The cat's fat, furry face cocked to the side inquisitively.

"Hey Ollie," said Naruto. "You remember Dad, yeah?"

The cat's head tilted to the other side, ears perking at Naruto's intonation. Sasuke guided Naruto to the couch. He felt some relief to at least have Naruto safe at home where he could keep an eye on him. He almost asked Minato if he wanted anything to drink - water, tea, coffee - except he really (selfishly) didn't want him to stay any longer than he had to. He wanted to be alone with Naruto. It was like he couldn't snap out of his shock until it was just the two of them.

"You were cleaning, weren't you?" Naruto murmured, glancing around the apartment and noticing the lines left in the carpet by the vacuum.

They sat side by side on the couch, arms barely touching. The little bit of contact was what Sasuke needed. Minato took a seat in the chair.

"Sorry you're stuck with the burden of watching over my son," Minato said with a smile. "Are you sure you want him? Because I can just as easily take him back home. You know how he gets when he even has the slightest fever. He likes to be babied."

"Daad," Naruto whined. "I do not like to be _babied_." He looked to Sasuke for confirmation, but all he did was arch an eyebrow in response. "Shut up. You're supposed to be on my side."

Sasuke regarded him seriously. "I want to take care of you."

"See," Naruto told his Dad. "It's no problem. It's just a concussion. I've seen it happen in TV shows all the time. We'll hang out, play video games, watch paint dry. The usual."

"Sounds fun," said Minato. "I'll call and check in a little later, and Kiba should be here shortly. So, before it gets too crowded, I guess I'll leave you in Sasuke's hands." He stood up from the chair. Sasuke got up, too, in order to see him out. Very briefly, as he began to walk away, he felt Naruto's fingers graze the lower part of his back. He almost stopped, but, instead, he continued with Minato to the door, opened it for him, and assured him that he would call in case anything happened.

"Bye, Dad," Naruto said from the couch. Minato waved goodbye, and Sasuke shut the door.

They were finally alone.

Sasuke turned around. He stood in the entranceway, staring at Naruto. Naruto stared back. He looked as if he was about to say something, but Sasuke's phone went off inside the pocket of his jeans. He pulled it out, figuring it was Kiba, but it was Ino.

"This is probably for you," he said and, going over to Naruto, handed him the phone.

Naruto took it, saw that it was Ino, and answered. "Hello?"

He was looking at Sasuke while listening to her. Sasuke was about to walk away to give Naruto some privacy when Naruto suddenly grabbed the front of his sweater and held onto it. Naruto answered all of Ino's questions without elaborating too much about the details other than to reiterate several times that he was fine and that he was back at the apartment. When Ino seemed to have calmed down - apparently Kiba had exaggerated to her about the shape Naruto was in - she finally let Naruto go with the promise that he would talk to her tomorrow when she stopped by to check in on him.

When the conversation ended, Naruto set the phone on the couch. He still had a hold of Sasuke's sweater.

"Wanna talk?" he asked Sasuke.

"I let you get broken."

"Sasuke," he tugged at the sweater and smiled at him, "You didn't let me get broken. It was just an accident. These things happen."

"Of that I am well aware."

Suddenly, there was a series of knocks at the door.

"S'probably, Kiba." Naruto let go of him.

Sasuke looked at him a little longer, hating that swollen, puffy black eye the most, and then he went to the door to let Kiba in before he tried to break it down. Kiba trudged in through the door with his muddy shoes on, but he didn't make it very far before Naruto reminded him to take them off.

"Oh yeah, forgot," Kiba muttered as he kicked them off, hard enough that they thudded against the wall. He had a couple of bags in his hands. He held one up. "Got you your ice cream and then I figured you might wanna chill out and watch some movies, so I rented a coupla things from the Redbox.

Naruto hobbled over to where they stood. He seemed pleasantly surprised.

"Really?"

Kiba chuckled. "Don't look so surprised. I do nice things for you on occasion."

Naruto grinned. "Yeah, but I guess I'm just used to Sasuke doin' that sorta stuff." He was standing right beside Sasuke, their arms touching, and considering he was smiling, it was obviously meant as a joke. Except, Sasuke didn't find the comment very funny.

"Well, don't go gettin' any ideas. I'll leave the rest of the caretaking to Sasuke. Especially since he's already givin' me the evil eye."

Naruto glanced at him. Sasuke wasn't particularly aware of his expression at that very moment, but he did recognize a gleam of amusement flashing in Naruto's eyes.

"That's just his natural expression, Kiba."

"Uh huh. Somehow I doubt it. So, do you want me to get you a bowl of this ice cream before it starts meltin' all over the place?"

Abruptly, Sasuke grabbed the plastic bag from his hands. "You'll just make a mess. Why don't you sit here and make sure he doesn't do any more damage to himself while I'm gone."

"Haha, yeah. Good idea," said Kiba, while Naruto grumbled a bit.

In the kitchen, while he was scooping the ice cream into a bowl, he was left to think about the various sides Naruto showed. To the doctor, to Kiba, even to his Dad, Naruto had the tendency to never show that he was upset or bothered. That Sasuke got to see those sides of Naruto, he knew, meant a lot. It was sometimes difficult to watch Naruto pretend. He knew why he did it. Naruto didn't like to worry anyone, and despite what Minato had said about Naruto liking to be babied... the truth was that it could be exceptionally difficult, even after nearly a year of dating, to get Naruto to ask for something if he needed it. Maybe Sasuke shouldn't talk, because he could be the same way, too.

But...

He didn't realize he sighed as he pulled out a spoon from one of the drawers (and a napkin because Naruto had a tendency to be messy). It didn't even occur to him to offer Kiba any. When Sasuke walked into the living room carrying the bowl, he saw Naruto lifting his shirt up and Kiba investigating that bruise on his left side.

"Ah, don't touch it, asshole," cried Naruto as Kiba poked at he bruise.

"That's so gross. Reminds me of that time in college when we played that one baseball game with the frat from Galena? And you slid into home and got that huge-ass strawberry on your thigh. That thing was there for, like, a month!"

"It wasn't that long," said Naruto, "but yeah, I remember."

As Sasuke approached, they both glanced at him. Naruto let his shirt slide down.

"He's got that look again," said Kiba, and he had the audacity to smirk.

"I don't have a _look_," he replied and handed Naruto his bowl of ice cream.

"Oh, really? I guess that means you'd be okay if I stayed to watch a movie?"

When Sasuke didn't immediately reply, Naruto nudged him with his elbow.

"Don't be a jerk," said Naruto.

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Do what you want."

"C'mon. Don't be like that. I'm fine. Everything's fine, okay? Would you two stop worryin' about me?"

"No." Kiba and Sasuke answered at the same time.

"Well, whatever. I know I'm fine, and so I'm gonna sit on this couch and eat my ice cream and, oh, your phone is ringin', Sasuke."

"You might as well answer it," he said. "It's probably for you."

"Yeah, but he's run out of hands to answer it with." Kiba went to the couch and picked the phone up. "Oh, it looks like it's your brother." He handed it over. "Want me to answer?"

"Absolutely not," said Sasuke, snatching his phone out of Kiba's hand.

Kiba snickered. "Touchy. This side of Sasuke's pretty funny, eh?"

"Hilarious," Naruto said dryly.

Sasuke answered the phone. "What do you want?" He cocked his head slightly, looking at Naruto, who rolled his eyes at him.

"Anyway," said Kiba. "I wasn't really gonna stay. You look like you'll survive, but I'll come over with Ino tomorrow to check in on ya."

Sasuke was half-listening to his brother as he watched Kiba give Naruto a hug (Sasuke had to hold the bowl of ice cream as they did so). Naruto followed Kiba to the door. Sasuke set the ice cream onto the coffee table and took a seat on the couch.

"You sound distracted," said Itachi. "Is everything okay? Speaking of which, I texted Naruto earlier to ask him something in regard to what he thinks you'd like for Christmas."

"Why don't you just ask me?" Sasuke replied irritably.

"Because I like texting him. He's amusing to talk to. And way more personable than you ever are on the phone."

"Wonderful, well. He's escorting Kiba out, but after that, he can explain to you what happened today since you two are such good friends."

"What's this? You're not getting paranoid again, are you, Sasuke? Naruto tells me you think I'm trying to steal him away from you."

"Shut up," he snapped. "I've never said anything like that, and he was obviously joking."

"Obviously," said Itachi, "Since I didn't inherit the homosexual gene. Even though that hasn't seemed to stop your boyfriend."

Sasuke hunched over, rubbing his forehead. "Really, why did you call?"

"Mostly just to bug you. Tell me, did something happen?"

"Yeah," he answered quietly, watching Kiba and Naruto talking together still, "Naruto got in a car accident."

There was a long, distinct pause on the other line.

"...I see. He's alright?"

"Yeah. Hold on a second." He got up, went down the hallway, and into the bedroom. "It's just... some bruises and scrapes, a sprained wrist, broken fingers, a concussion." Sasuke took a seat in the desk chair, unconsciously spinning it left and right while staring at a line of light caused from a glare off the laptop screen.

"It could've been worse."

Sasuke tilted his head. "That's what I said."

Itachi sighed. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," he said automatically.

"I can tell. Well, knowing Naruto, he's probably highly conscious of what this means to you. Just, make sure you don't do what you do sometimes."

"What's that? What do I do?"

"Shut down, close off."

"I'm not closing off," he retorted, slightly defensive.

"Right. You know I understand how you feel, Sasuke, but you're going to have to get over it. I think it'd be strange, though, for Naruto not to recognize that his accident was serious."

"Yeah, he's blown it off so far, but that's Naruto."

"Anything else?"

"No. Well, maybe." Sasuke ran his thumb over the curved arm of the chair. "I guess I would've thought... should anything ever happen to him...?"

"Hm...?"

"I feel... surprisingly angry."

"Angry at him or the accident...?"

Sasuke shook his head. "I don't know."

"Have you tried talking to him about it yet?"

"People keep calling and showing up. There's been no time."

"He's not just yours. Other people care about him, too, and while I'm sure Naruto wants to soothe your insecurities, he's also worrying about the other people he cares about, so that they won't worry too much over him."

"I understand that," he replied impatiently.

"You're being snotty."

Sasuke rolled his eyes. "What did you call for anyway?"

"I wanted to hear your voice. It'd been so long. You know your ill humor and sarcasm always make my heart swell."

"I'm glad you can take pleasure in my misery."

"I always do. Would it bother you very much if I asked to speak with Naruto for just a few minutes?"

"Would it really matter to you if it did bother me?"

"No, not really, but I thought it was the polite thing to say."

"Hn. Make it short."

"Of course. I wouldn't ever desire to prolong your misery more than I could possibly help it..."

Sasuke leaned forward and poked at the laptop screen, staring at the imprint the pad of his finger left. "I'm sure. Hold on. I'll go see if he's managed to get Kiba to leave yet."

Indeed, Naruto had because, as Sasuke walked into the living room, Naruto was sitting on the couch, watching a commercial for Allstate car insurance. He glanced up as Sasuke came in.

"Itachi wants to talk to you," he said and handed him the phone.

Naruto's brow lifted as he took it. "Hey, Itachi. S'up?"

Sasuke remained standing, his arms crossed to his chest.

"Ah, so he told you. Yeah. The roads were kinda icy, and this lady couldn't brake in time at a light so she hit my side of the truck." He was looking at Sasuke as he spoke. "Heh. I dunno about that, but I'm alright. Just a few bumps. I'm not in pain anywhere, I don't think."

Sasuke's brow arched in curiosity. It was always... the slightest bit unnerving when Itachi and Naruto spoke because they did get along so well, and in a way that could sometimes make him jealous. Not because he was truly paranoid about anything (at least not of anything other than Itachi being smart, interesting, and funny). Sasuke wanted to be all that to Naruto and be the only one to be all that, but they were brothers, so their humors and temperaments were fairly similar. Although, Itachi remained calm in all situations and always thought five steps ahead. Sasuke _could_ be like that, but he also had the tendency to lose his cool under certain circumstances.

He would not become jealous right now.

Even though Itachi was the last obstacle to finally getting Naruto alone.

As he roused from his thoughts, the next thing he heard was Naruto saying: "Constipated."

Sasuke blinked at him.

"Hm. Worried, I guess," Naruto said into the phone.

He stared, knowing they were talking about him.

"I know," Naruto said softly, and gesturing with a slight raise of his chin, he beckoned Sasuke closer.

He hesitated at first, but then Sasuke went obediently to him, his hands stuffed in his pockets. Naruto leaned forward and rested his head against Sasuke's stomach. He put both hands on top of Naruto's head, fingering through his hair in gentle movements. He could hear Itachi's voice coming from the phone, but it wasn't clear enough that he understood. He didn't want to eavesdrop on their conversation anyway.

"Yeah, the phone got smashed so I didn't get that." Naruto chuckled quietly; Sasuke felt his warm breath through the sweater he wore. "Mm. I'll shoot you an email later or somethin' if that's okay."

Sasuke moved and tilted Naruto's head up by the chin. Naruto's eyes met his - or, well, the one that was a little less swollen. Sasuke frowned as he took in the black eye and cuts and scrapes and stitches. Then he smoothed Naruto's hair back on the top, using his hand to keep it in place. Looking at Naruto somehow made him feel strange. Whether it was melancholy, he wasn't sure, but it was a little like heartbreak. There were also twinges of fear that kept continuously cropping up, followed by flashes of his parents. Just fragments of when he'd found out what had happened to them, their funerals, the gravesite where they were buried in the family plot. He could hear his mother's laugh quite clearly and imagine her smile. He could hear the sound of his father's voice as he said his name...

"Sasuke?"

Apparently Naruto had said his goodbyes to Itachi. He still had the phone in hand. Sasuke took it from him, turned it off, and set it on the table.

He forced himself to smile. "What did Itachi have to say?"

"Hm. Not much." Naruto pressed the flat of his right hand to Sasuke's thigh.

Sasuke looked him in the eye and spoke in a serious tone, "I love you."

Naruto blinked first and then slowly smiled.

"Don't look so happy about it," he told him sternly. "It means I'm also upset."

"I know you are, but I'm really okay. I'm not especially traumatized - "

"Well, _I_ am," Sasuke responded more angrily than he'd meant.

"Okay," Naruto replied. "We can talk about it."

"I don't want to talk about it."

Naruto's lips pressed together. "You're being contradictory."

"Of course. I'm conflicted." He needed to change the subject. "Did you finish your ice cream? I wouldn't want Kiba's good deeds to be wasted."

"Sasuke," Naruto said firmly, enough that it got his attention. "Kiba cares about me, too, alright? As much as you do, so I don't want you to just... brush aside his feelings."

Sasuke felt sort of hurt by that, but he couldn't argue he'd been selfish so far and run everyone else out just so that he could get Naruto alone - but for what purpose? To comfort him or to be comforted?

"Your sling is crooked." Sasuke pulled at the strap, and Naruto grabbed for his hand and held it.

"I'm not going anywhere," Naruto told him.

Sasuke looked at him for a minute, having to swallow down the bite of pain that stirred up.

The corner of his mouth, he knew, trembled. "We're not about to have a _Good Will Hunting_ moment, are we?"

"Heh, where I hug you and tell you 100 times that it's not your fault?"

"Something like that."

Naruto squeezed his hand.

"Well, it's not your fault," he said to Sasuke and cleared his throat. "And..." The grip he had on Sasuke's hand increased. "Neither was what happened to your Mom and Dad."

Sasuke's instinct was to pull his hand away, but Naruto held it tight.

"I'm fine," he said in a small voice.

"You're _not_ fine. But it's okay not to be fine. I don't expect you to be fine. I feel really guilty that out of all the stupid ways I could've hurt myself that I get into a fucking car accident. It was the first thought that flew through my mind when that goddam airbag hit me in the face. I thought: _Fuck, Sasuke is gonna kill me if I die in a car accident_."

"You're stupid to feel guilty for that, you moron. I'm just happy that you're alright." He took hold of Naruto's face, careful of the cuts and bruises. "What would I do without you?" he asked in a gentle tone of voice, skirting his thumbnail under the swell of Naruto's bottom lip. "Would you leave me alone here? I would've thrown myself off a roof and followed you."

"That's exactly why I'd never let anything happen to me."

"You can't control that."

"I can control it. I can do anything I want. I promise you that even if I was to die, I'd come back from the dead. I swear it, Sasuke." He grinned one of those grins that made Sasuke's heart stop. Unconsciously, his hand went to cover it. "Something wrong?"

Sasuke shook his head. "Well, it's not like I have a pet cemetery to bury you in."

"I'll come back," Naruto said again.

"If you don't, I'll follow you."

"You should learn some patience. There's probably paperwork I'd have to fill out, so just as I'm comin' back you'll be goin' the other way, and we'll constantly be missing each other."

"Sounds like a plot for a really terrible romantic comedy."

"That's why we should avoid it at all costs. I wouldn't want for us to turn into a cliché." Naruto sighed. "My head's startin' to get fuzzy."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked. "Does it hurt? Do you feel sick?"

Naruto yawned. "No, just tired. It's been a long day."

Sasuke touched the back of his hand to Naruto's forehead, checking for a fever. "You feel a little warm. Did you take your medicine yet?"

"No," Naruto said stubbornly. "'Cause I'm not in any pain."

"I'll go get you a glass of water." Sasuke started to move, but Naruto slipped a finger into his left jean pocket, keeping him from going.

"Can I tell you somethin' without you gettin' too upset?"

"Of course."

"I mean... we've both lost parents. I know I still have my Dad - "

"It's not a contest," Sasuke said, frowning.

"Shh. But, I mean. I think Mom watches over me and stuff, and I'm sure she had a hand in me not bein' as hurt as I could've been... I guess what I want to say is, uh... ?"

Sasuke's eyebrow arched.

Naruto shook his head, smiled, and let go of Sasuke's pocket. "Nevermind."

"I'm pretty sure you won't get away with not finishing your thought, but let me get you your medications first, hm?" He smiled at Naruto for a breath and tucked some stray strands of blond hair behind his ear. "Do you want me to run a bath for you? Then maybe we can watch the movies Kiba rented."

"You'll take care of me?"

Sasuke slid his hands into his pockets, his shoulders hunching up a bit. "Yeah. I'll take care of you."

* * *

After he made Naruto take his meds (which was almost as difficult as getting the cat to take _his_), Sasuke drew a bath for him, carefully helped Naruto undress, and stepped into the bath with him. Naruto moved to the one side, Sasuke to the other.

"You're bein' awfully quiet, Sasuke."

He glanced up. He'd been thinking. Without his clothes, there were a lot more injuries to be seen. It just seemed like the entire left side of Naruto's body was one big bruise. He had his arm up out of the water so that the cast on his wrist wouldn't get wet. The two broken fingers were wrapped tightly together.

Naruto nudged him with his foot. "This is startin' to get really depressing."

Sasuke took in a deep breath and attempted a smile. "Sorry. It's... harder than I imagined to see you like this."

"It's probably no different than how you looked after those guys beat you up in Seattle."

"True," he reached over his shoulder for the washrag he'd set there. "But that's different."

Naruto scoffed. "How is that different?"

"Because... I can take care of myself. It didn't matter if I was all busted."

"I'm not _busted_," retorted Naruto. "The bruises will go away, the arm will heal and so will the fingers, right? But what happened to me was an accident, what happened to you is unacceptable, and if I ever find those guys, I'm gonna kill them. That's besides the point, though. It'd be just as easy for me to say the same thing, but how can I ignore the way this is obviously makin' you feel?"

Sasuke lowered his eyes as he dipped the rag into the water and rung it out. "You know how I feel?"

"I know what it feels like to watch someone you care about be in pain and suffer, yeah." Naruto shifted in the tub, causing the water to splash.

"I know," he replied quietly. "I didn't mean it like that." Sasuke grabbed the soap and rubbed it into the rag. He got to his knees and inched forward in the water until he was kneeling between Naruto's legs. "Sit up a bit."

Naruto obeyed, the corners of his mouth quirked as he watched Sasuke.

Sasuke leaned over him and washed his neck and shoulders. Avoiding the bruise and the gash above his eye, Sasuke wiped down his face, moving rather slowly across those childhood scars on Naruto's right cheek.

"So serious," Naruto whispered. His hand moved. He pressed just the tips of his fingers to Sasuke's stomach. "You're shaking."

"I'm trying to concentrate," he said gruffly.

Naruto went quiet for a while, long enough for Sasuke to continue washing the front side of his body - down his chest, his stomach, his legs, and his feet.

"I think this is what happened at the Last Supper," Naruto said suddenly when Sasuke was cleaning each one of Naruto's toes (and in between them).

"That would make me Jesus," Sasuke replied. "I'm pretty sure that's fairly blasphemous."

"Saint Sasuke." Naruto chuckled. "Honestly, I can see it. You'd make a good martyr. Too bad I'd never let you sacrifice yourself."

Sasuke hummed as he leaned back while inspecting Naruto's ankle, which appeared swollen. "That's not really your choice to make."

"I s'pose not."

"Do you think you can get onto your knees?" Sasuke asked.

"Do you really have to ask?" Naruto smirked.

Sasuke gave him a look. Naruto rolled his eyes and, slowly, with Sasuke's help, he shifted onto his knees. Sasuke put one arm around Naruto's waist and pressed close until the front of their bodies were nearly flush. Sasuke scrubbed his neck and back. He felt Naruto's teeth start to scrape across the curve of his shoulder.

"Naruto..." he warned.

"What?" Naruto said in a husky voice. "You're naked and pressed against me." His arm wrapped around Sasuke, his right hand cupping Sasuke's ass.

"Behave," Sasuke said in a low voice as he dragged the rag down Naruto's crack. "It's not going to happen."

Naruto scratched his nails up Sasuke's back. "I dunno if I ever recall a time when you've denied me sex."

"I wouldn't under normal circumstances, of course." Sasuke dropped the rag and planted an apologetic kiss to Naruto's shoulder. He tried to sit Naruto back down into the water, but he continued to hold on tight.

"You haven't even kissed me yet tonight," said Naruto.

"It'll hurt if I kiss you. Your bottom lip has a bad cut."

Naruto squeezed him harder. "I don't care."

Sasuke snorted. He turned his head, brushing his nose against Naruto's temple. "Don't pout."

"You were poutin' earlier," he grumbled.

Sasuke sighed deeply as he placed his hand to the back of Naruto's head, combing his fingers upward through his hair. He hugged Naruto, his arms loose about him so that he wouldn't hurt him. Then he put his hand between them, flat to Naruto's chest, and forced him to sit back down in the water. He cradled the back of Naruto's head and one of his shoulders as he helped him. Naruto's legs went around his waist, hooking onto the backs of his thighs.

"Sasuke," Naruto sighed. "I'm fine."

Sasuke stared at him. Naruto reached up to push his hair to the side, and Sasuke moved into the gesture. He leaned in to kiss a corner of Naruto's mouth. Turning his head a little, Naruto caused their lips to brush. Sasuke began to move away, but Naruto held him in place.

"Don't," he said against Sasuke's lips. "It won't hurt if you kiss me... Even if it does... if it's you, I don't mind. Please."

Sasuke's lids fluttered halfway closed. "You're trying my patience..."

Naruto chuckled. "You should be used to it." He brushed his lips to Sasuke's again and dug his heels further into the backs of Sasuke's thighs. "Love me..."

Sasuke took Naruto's chin in his hand and lifted it. "I do," he said and kissed him softly, feeling lightheaded from being in the warm bath. He felt Naruto's fingers winding their way through his hair.

Before he knew it, they were no longer kissing. Sasuke had his forehead pressed to Naruto's shoulder, with Naruto's arm holding up and supporting him.

"It's okay," he heard Naruto whisper while his hand moved in soothing circles over his back. "It's gonna be alright, Sasuke."

The tears... where had they come from?

_It's gonna be alright, Sasuke._

How long had he wanted to hear that and believe it?

* * *

They'd both changed into comfortable clothes - Naruto in a t-shirt and sweats and Sasuke in a hooded sweatshirt and plaid pj pants. Kiba had rented Lawless and The Campaign. Naruto, in an attempt at being sensitive to Sasuke's mood, insisted on the comedy. Sasuke made some popcorn and put it into a bowl for them to share. Ollie was curled up in Naruto's lap, purring more loudly than usual tonight. To be perfectly honest, Sasuke was feeling emotionally drained, so he was secretly thankful for Kiba's thoughtfulness. The lights were off. It was just the two of them (plus the cat). Naruto had already checked in with his father, who reported that the woman who'd hit him had come out of surgery alright. After hearing the news, Naruto seemed especially upbeat and conscientious of Sasuke's... feelings. Naruto in a good mood meant that he was extremely affectionate. It would've been hard for anyone to tell he'd been in a major accident only a handful of hours ago.

By the time the movie was over, it was 10.30. They remained sitting on the couch, watching the credits roll.

"I thought that was pretty funny," said Naruto.

"It was okay."

Naruto let out a sigh. "I'm wiped. Ready for bed?"

Sasuke turned to look at him. "Yeah."

"You're not gonna wear all that to sleep, are ya?"

Sasuke smirked. "Maybe. It's not like anything is going to happen."

"Harsh." Naruto smiled warmly. "It's not like I'm gonna ravage you. There's not much I can do with one arm. At least it's my left wrist. This way I can still jerk off."

"Not tonight, but any other time I'd be happy to help you out there. I like when you say ravage."

"I know you do. I could still ravage you if I really wanted to, but I'm willing to respect your feelings on the matter."

"Why, thank you. That's very thoughtful of you, Naruto," he said dryly, but with a quirk to his lips.

"How do you feel?"

The line of his mouth thinned. "Better." And when Naruto raised an eyebrow, he added, "Thanks."

"For what?"

He half-shrugged. "Putting up with me."

"I don't really think of it as 'putting up with you'. I like when you let me be there for you." He leaned over to kiss Sasuke on his cheek. "I think Ollie's fallen into a coma." Naruto scratched the cat at the scruff of his neck.

Sasuke picked the sleepy cat up and put him on the floor. He helped Naruto to his feet and turned off the TV. Still holding onto Naruto's hand, he led the way down the hall and into their bedroom. While Naruto went into the bathroom to brush his teeth, Sasuke slipped his sweatshirt off and started pulling back the covers. He checked his phone for messages, but not wanting to respond to anything unless it was an emergency, he turned it off and set it beside his laptop.

Naruto came out of the bathroom, covering his mouth as he yawned. Sasuke watched him as he got into bed and under the sheet. He went to turn off the light and close the door. Somewhere by the foot of the bed, he paused and listened. It seemed so quiet.

"Sasuke?" Naruto called to him. "Did you get lost on your way back to the bed?"

"Hardly." Sasuke snorted and dragged his knee up onto the corner of the mattress, crawling the rest of the way to his side. He slipped under the sheet, pulling the comforter up to cover the both of them.

"What a day, huh? Who knew I could be so high-maintenance? Heh."

Sasuke didn't reply right away, but after a minute or two, he rolled onto his side, facing Naruto in the darkness. His lips parted, and he paused before he spoke, "I'm scared."

"Huh?" Naruto shifted. "Of what? Why?"

He rubbed his lips together. "You, I think."

"Okay..." Naruto moved closer, clumsily getting onto his side. He lay his right arm across Sasuke's stomach, warm fingers curling at his waist. He breathed in deeply, taking in Naruto's scent. Sasuke closed his eyes. Naruto's lips brushed his cheek, and then he planted feather-light kisses to his cheek, his jaw, and his chin. "What should I say to you?"

He shook his head once. "...I don't know." He hated the way his voice cracked.

"Sasuke," said Naruto and hugged him tight, burying his face against Sasuke's neck. "There's nothing I wouldn't do for you. I wish this wouldn't have happened. I hate how much somethin' I did has upset you."

"It wasn't _you_," he replied, sounding frustrated. "You didn't do anything. I know that. But I hate that there are things I can't control. I don't want to see anyone I care about get hurt again... I..."

"I know," Naruto whispered. "You can't control everything. That sucks to hear, but that's just the way it is, and I know it's an annoying thing to say, but things happen for a reason. I love you, Sasuke. That won't change. How much have we been through together already? How much more will we go through? No one knows what's gonna happen, and if we sit and worry about all the things that could go wrong in life, we'd just... be too scared to do anything. That's not really the way anyone should have to live."

Sasuke's sigh was shaky as he reached for Naruto's hand at his waist and held it in his, lacing their fingers. "I see why I never wanted to get close to anyone after my parents died. It would've been too much to have to lose someone again. When I met you," he squeezed Naruto's hand, "It just seemed like you were a force of nature. Nothing could touch you..."

"Hey, I wouldn't let anything or anyone _touch_ me but you, alright? It's a few scrapes that are gonna heal in a matter of weeks. I've been in way worse accidents before we even met - "

"Oh, that's what I want to hear."

"Shut up." Naruto dropped his head down to rest it on Sasuke's shoulder. "What's great about what we have is that we trust each other, don't y'think? So, trust me that when I say I won't leave you or hurt you, that I won't. You think I don't worry about the same things? I was such a fuckup after my Mom died, and I'm glad you'll never have to see that side of me. I learned a lot from that time, and if anything, it's made me stronger."

"But I'm not like you," Sasuke argued. "I get angry. I wouldn't trust myself should something happen to you... or Itachi."

"If you won't trust yourself," said Naruto, "Trust me."

He turned his head and kissed Naruto on the forehead. "Love me," he said quietly, mouthing the words against Naruto's skin. "Love me even though I'm scared and flawed and I may shut down on you sometimes. Please don't ever give up on me, Naruto."

"Never," Naruto promised resolutely. "I remember Mom used to say to me: 'When people are protecting something truly special to them, they truly can become as strong as they can be'. It took me a while to understand that, but I think, y'know, in wanting to protect someone you love, you become a stronger, better person. I mean, you lost so much, Sasuke. No one would blame you for not wanting to have to go through that again. The thought of losing you... I can't even imagine. It's like, before we met, I walked around as only half a person, but when I'm with you, I feel complete. Spiritually, I guess you'd say. And, not to be morbid, but if I was to die, I don't think that that's a bond even death could break."

Sasuke let Naruto's words sink in, somewhere deep inside his heart where he hoped they'd fill all those tiny cracks that had formed over the years. For Naruto's sake, from the instant he'd understood how he'd felt about him, Sasuke had wanted to become a better version of himself and always move forward rather than backward. He wanted to believe Naruto was strong enough to keep him on such a path. He wanted to be strong enough to do it on his own, too. Naruto's high expectations of him, however, could sometimes make him feel... overwhelmed. Intimidated even. Yet, at the same time, he felt so lucky that someone as bright and warm as Naruto could ever be attached to him. How could something be so elating and terrifying at the same time?

But then Naruto's mouth was covering his in a reassuring press of the lips. Sasuke let go of Naruto's hand to cup the side of his face and return the kiss. He tried to convey everything he felt through it, feeling Naruto's response in every suck or gentle nip at his lips.

"Sasuke..."

"Hm...?" He still held the side of Naruto's face in his hand.

"I love you. I want to be in love with you like this forever. I only wanna make you happy. As happy as you make me all the time."

"I suppose that might be okay," he replied, thumb brushing across Naruto's cheek. "Who knew you were such a romantic, Naruto? It's pathetic yet surprisingly endearing how soft you are."

"I can't help it. I'm an emotional person. You make me especially crazy, I think. But," he tilted his head to the side, "In a good way."

"I have that much of an effect on you?"

"Don't act so surprised. You know y'do."

"It's hard to imagine," he said, carefully choosing his words, "That you could feel as much for me as I do for you."

"Well, _duh_. I do."

"You said 'I do'. I guess that means we're married."

Naruto snorted. "I guess so."

Sasuke got up on his elbows, Naruto moving up at the same time. Sasuke held onto him and kissed him until he was nearly out of breath.

"I don't want a fancy wedding," Sasuke told him, smirking placidly.

"Me neither. We should spend our money on the honeymoon."

"Where shall we go?"

"Hm. Don't mind. Anywhere with you would be okay by me. Anywhere you want to go."

Sasuke gave him another lingering kiss. "I'll hold you to that, Uzumaki."

"If we're gonna get married, I think it's okay for us to be on a first name basis. We already have pet names for each other, too. I can call you bastard, and you can call me idiot."

"I hardly refer to you as an idiot."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "Uh huh. You'll take my last name, won't you? You'll be Mr. Sasuke Uzumaki. Naruto Uchiha sounds too much like a Japanese superhero."

"I see that you're becoming giddy with the idea of being my wife, so maybe we should just go to sleep, think it over a little. Sleep on it."

"Me? Your wife? Hm. Well, that's somethin' to think about. Maybe we can take turns bein' the wife, just like how we take turns - "

Sasuke covered his mouth before he could ruin the moment. Naruto's eyes narrowed at him, full of genuine mirth.

"Don't look at me that way. It's dangerous." He removed his hand.

Naruto waggled his eyebrows. "You wanna take advantage of me, don't you?"

"A little," Sasuke replied. "But I'll restrain myself."

"Yes, you're so very reserved. That must be the Japanese in you."

Sasuke smirked. "Play your cards right, and you can have a little Japanese in you, too."

"Little?" Naruto scoffed. "Don't sell yourself short, _wife_ of mine."

"Hn. Cute."

"Thank you. I'm glad you think so even though I look like Quasimodo."

Sasuke laughed. "It's not that bad." He grabbed for a strand of hair framing Naruto's face and tugged at it before pushing it behind his ear. "I guess you could always blindfold me the next time we do it. Then I'd never notice."

Naruto punched him in the shoulder. "Bastard."

Sasuke smiled up at him. "Idiot."


End file.
